An anonymous donor wants to give Austin ISD $59,000 for work on a new applied technology center on an existing school campus in North Austin.
At its June 16 board of trustees meeting, AISD's board is slated to consider approval of the donation so that the district can begin work on the proposal for a 14,500-square-foot center to be constructed on the east side of the Anderson High School campus at 8403 Mesa Drive.
At the board's June 9 meeting, Interim Superintendent Paul Cruz told the board the applied technology center proposal could help support the district's efforts to meet new graduation requirements of House Bill 5, noting the district does not have all its HB 5 implementation plans fleshed out at this point.
"We know [that with] what we're doing today we're not going to be able to implement HB 5 effectively," Cruz said.
Edmund Oropez, interim chief schools officer and associate superintendent for high schools, said establishing the new center could help solve problems for students who want to participate in programs that are not available at their home campuses.
The district would need about $90,000 for annual operations costs, Oropez said. Students from Anderson and other high schools would be able to use the center to take classes, complete group projects, enroll in independent study courses, and collaborate with student peers for local, state, national and international competitions.
If AISD accepts the private funder's donation, the district's Construction Management Department will issue a request for proposals for construction. After that, the same donor would make a second gift through the Boy Scouts for America National Foundation for construction and other costs.
An existing applied technology facility located at Akins High School was completed in 2013 as part of the 2008 district bond program. Trustee Lori Moya said she is concerned the new center could raise equity issues between north and south Austin, but noted some new options will be necessary as part of the HB 5 rollout in 2014–15.
"I'm glad we're looking at other delivery models because I think it's the best way to expand opportunities across the district," Moya said.
Trustee Cheryl Bradley said if AISD conducted an analysis of what schools throughout the district are receiving, the board would be shocked at programming and certification options students get at some schools but not at others. She said the donation is beneficial for the district, noting the center would not only be used by students attending school at the Anderson campus.
"I still see it as an opportunity where we can just kind of lift [students] and have a little bit of equity," she said.
Trustee Gina Hinojosa expressed concern about the funder's identity being anonymous and told Oropez to ask the donor to reconsider that for transparency reasons.
