Latest news with #AustinISD
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Austin ISD to decide on school consolidation, repurposing ahead of next school year
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin ISD is expected to decide on some changes for the upcoming school year during a virtual meeting Thursday. The district said it planned on consolidating schools beginning in the 2026–27 school year, which could include school closures, boundary changes and more. The purpose of the effort was to 'avoid deeper budget cuts and safeguard the academic experience,' according to the district. AISD is also set to discuss how to repurpose one campus that has already been closed. The district said it planned to create a green space at the site of former Sims Elementary, which was closed in 2021. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Unproven school board governance training in Texas is all hat and no cattle
Under the guise of improving academic outcomes, the Texas Education Agency has required some public school districts across Texas to adopt Lone Star Governance, a program that includes coaching and training for school board members. Texans who care about efficient government and local control should be concerned with the state's interference and how money is being diverted away from schools to well-connected consultants for an unproven and costly enterprise that is all hat and no cattle. According to the TEA, Lone Star Governance is a continuous improvement model, 'founded on research' and focused on 'improving student outcomes.' TEA has required the board of trustees in several districts — including Austin ISD, Fort Worth ISD and Houston ISD — to adopt Lone Star Governance to address various issues, from special education-related failures to persistent low performance on state standardized assessments. However, as education researchers, we are concerned that TEA is requiring public school districts spend public funds on an approach with no evidence of effectiveness. A TEA-created flyer claims that districts implementing Lone Star Governance saw, on average, a 10-point increase in accountability scores between 2018 and 2019, compared to 3 points for districts not using that model. The flyer does not indicate which districts were part of this calculation. However, according to information we obtained from TEA through a public records request, starting in the 2017-18 school year, 13 districts were formally engaged in Lone Star Governance. We were wary of drawing conclusions about Lone Star Governance from such a small group of districts over one year. So we tracked accountability score changes between 2018 and 2023 for all districts that had been involved in Lone Star Governance in 2018 and 2019. In this time, overall district accountability ratings for Lone Star Governance districts declined 12.4 points, a much steeper decline than those districts not using that model (7.4-point decline). The gap in average accountability ratings actually widened between districts using Lone Star Governance and those that didn't. In 2018, the average accountability rating in Lone Star Governance districts was only two points below other districts (84 vs. 86 points). By 2023, this gap widened to seven points (74 vs. 81 points). Several districts that were required to adopt Lone Star Governance five years ago are now facing potential state intervention because of a lack of progress on improving student outcomes. TEA required the program in Houston ISD, where trainees have characterized Lone Star Governance as 'a fear-based system of control' where 'any sort of independent thought is not tolerated.' Houston ISD's accountability rating has declined since its forced adoption of Lone Star Governance. Fort Worth ISD adopted Lone Star Governance in 2018, but, similarly, the district's state accountability ratings have declined. TEA has forced Austin ISD to adopt Lone Star Governance twice — first in 2016 and again in 2024. Yet, Austin ISD has not experienced substantial improvement in its state accountability ratings. The need for repeated training calls into question the effectiveness of Lone Star Governance and begs the question: Who is benefiting from this costly, unproven training? In 2024, Austin ISD was required to pay $60,000 to a national organization called the Council of Great City School (CGCS) for Lone Star Governance training and coaching. The person who leads CGCS's governance efforts — including facilitating Lone Star Governance workshops across the state — is AJ Crabill, a former TEA deputy commissioner who was appointed in 2016 by TEA Commissioner Mike Morath. Texas is unique in that the state has unilateral authority to require districts to spend funds on this unproven school board training. However, several districts across the United States have also adopted Crabill's governance training — nationally known as Student Outcomes Focused Governance. The effectiveness of this training in these districts is now under scrutiny, too. For example, Seattle Public Schools has spent approximately $300,000 on Student Outcomes Focused Governance and has seen little academic progress. Texans care about the efficient use of taxpayer dollars, especially when it comes to educating our state's children. Requiring already-cash-strapped districts spend public tax dollars on unproven training with zero evidence of effectiveness is the opposite of efficient. Instead, state interventions should prioritize proven strategies, such as evidence-based professional development for teachers and investments into mental health supports for students. Rachel S. White is an associate professor, and David DeMatthews is a professor of education, in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Texas. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Required 'Lone Star' training isn't helping school districts | Opinion
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Travis County DA: ‘Insufficient evidence' to charge Austin ISD executive for tampering
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Travis County prosecutors say there is insufficient evidence to charge a long-time Austin Independent School District executive with tampering with government records. In a court record filed on Wednesday, the Travis County District Attorney's Office stated that it would not file charges. In February, Austin Independent School District investigators accused Amie Ortiz, 40, of deleting information police requested while she was working as the district's director of talent strategy. Ortiz has been an AISD employee for over 17 years, serving in both teaching and executive roles. She has been on administrative leave from the district since September 2024. Ortiz's attorney, Brian Roark, stated Ortiz was not aware she was the target of any investigation. Austin ISD executive charged with tampering with government records The charge Ortiz faced stemmed from an investigation into a different employee who was suspected of stealing thousands of dollars worth of gift cards. According to investigators, Ortiz reported that more than $65,000 worth of district gift cards owned by the school district were missing. She also reported issues with misuse of the cards and lack of documentation. The gift cards were purchased and issued through AISD's insurance carrier as a part of the district's employee wellness program, according to district officials and an affidavit. Ortiz had created an internal tracking system on Google Sheets for the gift cards, which documented the gift card vendor, amount, quantity, the recipient of the card, the reason for releasing the card, and the date of release. According to investigators, multiple people could access the log. Former Austin ISD official accused of theft, using district gift cards for personal buys But later, investigators accused Ortiz of 'intentionally manipulating' that log. Detectives alleged that the day after they responded to the theft report, Ortiz deleted a portion of the gift card log totaling more than $36,250 and altered the initials next to several entries. The log included an inventory from a January 2024 bulk order of $135,000 worth of gift cards, as well as inventory from another set of gift cards found in a storage cabinet over the summer, totaling $36,250, according to the affidavit. Ortiz's attorney stated that Ortiz made the changes because she believed the detectives wanted her to provide an accurate account of the gift cards from the January 2024 bulk order of gift cards. Ortiz's attorney said she was under the impression that the gift cards found in the storage cabinet were not part of the January bulk order and 'had already been given to campuses for staff wellness' over the summer. Former Austin ISD executive accused of stealing thousands from district Ortiz's attorney also said that at some point, the safe containing the gift cards was moved to a different person's office, and Ortiz changed the initials to indicate that the inventory entries were made when the safe was in another person's office. 'Every action she took, statement made, and document she provided was accurate and true to the extent of her knowledge and understanding at that time. She never intentionally provided any false information,' Roark said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Austin ISD 8th grader dies after incident at celebration: principal
The Brief Covington Middle School eighth-grade student has passed away Principal says he died from complications after a medical emergency at a field trip CMS will be open Friday, May 30 as a counseling center AUSTIN, Texas - An Austin ISD student has died after an incident at an eighth-grade celebration, according to the Covington Middle School principal. The district says that Vadir Gonzalez-Arias passed away on May 29, one day after the incident. What we know In a letter to the Covington Middle School community on May 28, Principal Cedric Maddox said Vadir experienced a medical emergency during a field trip for the 8th grade class. Principal Maddox sent out an update the next day that Vadir had passed away due to complications. What they're saying Principal Maddox said in the May 29 letter: "We are hurting deeply and our hearts go out to their family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. Vadir was kind, caring, and approached each day with a positive attitude and a willingness to do what was asked of him. He treated his peers and teachers with genuine respect and made those around him feel seen and appreciated." What you can do The school will be open as a counseling center on Friday, May 30, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Multiple English and Spanish-speaking counselors and licensed mental health professionals will be available to support students both individually and in small groups. Maddox also urged parents to talk with their children and reassure them "it's okay to feel however they are feeling", saying: "It is also normal if they do not feel anything right away. It can take a while—sometimes days or weeks—for children to show their feelings, and that is normal. No matter when the feelings surface, it is important to provide clarity and validation of feelings." Maddox also shared some helpful community resources: The Christi Center – free information and support groups for youth and adults regarding grief and loss. Phone: 512-467-2600 Integral Care – 24 hours support for mental health crises or by appointment. Phone: 512-472-4357 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 Austin ISD Employee Assistance Program resources The Source Information in this report comes from Austin ISD.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mental health center coming soon to Austin ISD campus
AUSTIN (KXAN) — As Mental Health Awareness month closes, a groundbreaking at Martin Middle School this week aims to further Austin ISD's goal of expanding mental health support for its students. The final phase of modernizations to the school begins Tuesday morning in East Austin. Once complete, the school will have new HVAC, electric and plumbing systems, along with a planned mental health center. Dr. LaShanda Lewis, executive director of AISD's Crisis and Mental Counseling, said there are a handful of mental health centers across the district. Once the center is complete, it will look similar to a classroom but more cozy and comfortable to put students at ease, Lewis said. She said there will be space for group counseling to take place, as well as a more private area for students to meet one-on-one with licensed mental health providers. Lewis said post-COVID is when the need for mental health support became apparent to the district, as students navigated the transition from at-home to classroom learning. 'If our students are not emotionally and mentally well, they're not going to go into those classrooms and function at the highest caliber that they need to be academically successful and transition into the next phase in their lives,' Lewis said. Modernization efforts at Martin MS are expected to finish by fall 2027. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
