Last Week's AISD Board Meeting
Coalition SAUS
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AISD Board of Trustees meeting Citizen Communications January 23, 2017 |
My name is Kate Mason-Murphy.
Good afternoon~
Dr Cruz…Trustees…good to see you all again.
I am here to advocate for all of the community and neighborhood schools, not just Joslin Elementary where my 2 boys attend.
Much like Robin Hood and how it feels “unfair” to you, that is how many Austinites feel about FABPACs recommendations. Do you even know what our diverse schools need to be welcoming, colorful, and vibrant expressions of their community? Have you ever asked us?
Special programming is fine, ONLY after you have pulled out all of the stops to create vibrant, rich, learning environments on every campus for every child and ONLY if you use creative funding sources. These schools you constantly defend and over-fund are public schools that are not open to the public.
Take care of our students where they are…children don’t drive. They walk, they run, they bike, scooter & skateboard. We should be advocating for the health, safety and education of ALL our children, our most precious resource, in our own communities where we live.
FABPAC, formerly the Facility Use and Boundary Task Force, (both populated by special interest volunteers), is a constant distraction to the business at hand. It takes away from our schools and parents ability to educate and nurture our children. Even now, look around at all of the parents, students, staff and community members who are here now supporting Community Schools. That doesn’t account for the hours upon hours spent organizing, rallying the parents, collaborating with other schools and creating online presence for example… instead of spending our “spare time” engaged in our own children's’ learning.
The schools on the closure list are not falling apart, like TA Brown earlier this year. The first question to ask is “How did we let that happen to one of our schools?” and the follow up…”Who let this happen?” Those people and those departments should be held accountable for allowing a school, a Title 1 school, to fall apart in our very wealthy city.
Here’s the thing…
When the numbers, the budget, doesn’t work, you don’t close down schools!
You change district policies.
You adjust school boundaries.
And you “share the wealth” so that ALL 84,000 children in ALL AISD schools are successful.
We are in the middle of the biggest real estate boom in Austin’s history, making Central Texas the fastest growing region on the continent. Threatening to close our smaller schools that have served for decades as community anchors in our neighborhoods, is short-sighted and mean-spirited.
The taxpayers of Austin spoke loud and clear when we voted overwhelmingly in favor of the $720 million Mobility Bond. We are sick of the same old, same old Mediocrity. We bought into Imagine Austin, the City’s new vision for Austin’s future.
Dr Cruz and Trustees, you should be embarrassed that AISD has remained absent from the conversations for moving Austin forward. Are you working with City Council? The Active Transportation Department? Safe Routes to Schools? What about the Neighborhood Partnering Program? The Pedestrian Advisory Council? Or what about the Bicycle Advisory Council? We are. And from what we can tell, AISD isn’t.
Planning is hard. I get it. I also understand that you all may not have the education, skills or depth of knowledge to be successful…but the City does. They are your allies. Use them. Collaborate with them.
In the meantime, we request you stop the conversation for closing down schools, period.
Until you have shown us, proven to us, that you have done everything in your power to support ALL of AISDs campuses regardless of size, community challenges or ethnic group, this conversation needs to disappear.
Neighborhood Schools, Community Schools…
We stand UNITED.
Does this really make sense to any of you?
Closing community schools as we are reeling from the fast & furious infill development in our zone of the city?
Closing diverse neighborhood schools that are performing well, that are in better facility shape than their neighboring schools simply because we are earlier in the gentrification process than say, Barton Hills or Zilker and the South Austin baby boom hasn't hit Kindergarten yet?
Is the district's “solution” to FOREVER DRIVE our children to mega-schools, contributing to congestion, obesity, lack of affordability, and environmental impact? Really?? That's the best you can do? Shame on you.
I'm pretty sure the general public has no idea that AISD spends $27 million EVERY year on bussing children all over this city and we are left with nothing to show for it. Ironically, the City of Austin is celebrating the Prop 1 bond victory, with a record-breaking $27.5 million earmarked for Safe Routes to Schools, to be spent over the next 10 years. Hard fought and won, yet AISD wastes that much every single year.
And what is the City of Austin's #1 problem?
Traffic.
Who is the elephant in the living room?
Yep...Austin ISD.