PTA president says IDEA Allan parents plan to follow the charter school to new site

A new charter school may be on the horizon following the Austin ISD board of trustees' Dec. 17 vote to end the district's contract with IDEA Public Schools.

Partnering with IDEA in 2011 amid opposition from some parents and organizations, AISD set out to establish a charter school at Allan Elementary School in East Austin. The school was established, and IDEA planned to expand to Eastside Memorial High School.

But after the board reviewed IDEA's contract during a Dec. 3 work session, AISD trustee Jayme Mathias proposed developing an amendment to delay that expansion. Parents, teachers and students attended the board's Dec. 17 meeting to voice their opinions on both the proposed amendment and the partnership between AISD and IDEA.

AISD board vote nixes contract

During citizens communication at the Dec. 17 meeting, many speakers opposed IDEA moving into EMHS. Some EMHS students camped out overnight—despite finals taking place during that week—to ensure they were able to sign up for a chance to speak.

After hearing the community's feedback, the board voted 5-4 against the amendment. Trustee Gina Hinojosa said she considered the IDEA partnership to be "divisive" and said it should be put to rest. Mathias then motioned to terminate the contract at the end of the 2012–13 school year.

Trustees Tamala Barksdale, Hinojosa, Mathias, Robert Schneider and Ann Teich voted to terminate the contract. Cheryl Bradley, Amber Elenz, Lori Moya and board President Vincent Torres opposed.

"As long as I've been on the board, this is probably one of the hardest things that has come before us," Bradley said.

She explained she did not support the motion without a clear plan for what would happen next.

"The hope this evening is that we can help to bring healing to the East Austin community so that we can continue to move forward," Mathias told Community Impact Newspaper.

IDEA plans to open its own school

Brandee Davis, IDEA Allan's PTA president, attended the meeting along with other parents from the school.

"I was blindsided," she said. "None of us at the meeting had any idea that [Mathias] was going to retract his own olive branch."

The following day, IDEA founder and CEO Tom Torkelson announced IDEA's plans to open its own school in September.

The school would be an independent public charter similar to 26 other campuses IDEA operates, and the organization would work to secure funding as it has for those schools, Torkelson said during a news conference.

IDEA Public Schools plans to announce more details about its planned school in January or February, including more information about where it will be located, Torkelson said.

While he would not specify whether the school will remain in East Austin, Torkelson said IDEA will aim to locate a site for the new campus that will still be convenient for the current students at Allan Elementary.

"We're really looking forward to the option to continue to grow and expand here in the community of Austin, and to meet the pent-up demand for great schools that we know all parents have," he said at the news conference.

Davis said Allan Elementary staff had been supportive during the two weeks leading up to AISD's vote, which were "filled with uncertainty."

Davis' daughter is one of the 544 students attending IDEA Allan, and she, along with the majority of the school's parents, have been pleased with the school's performance, she said.

AISD must plan for community

As part of the AISD board's vote, Superintendent Meria Carstarphen has been directed to work with trustees and the community to plan for the IDEA Allan community and the EMHS vertical team, which includes the high school as well as the elementary and middle schools feeding into it.

Davis said IDEA Allan parents already have a plan—to follow IDEA to its new school.

Community feedback

• Luke Muszkiewicz, AISD parent: "We're here because it's not simple, it's not clear, and many of us disagree with the specific approach AISD chose to take with IDEA last December."
• Letter from IDEA Allan parents: "It is too early to close our school. In fact, it is unfair to us. We have not been given an opportunity for our voices to be heard."
• Andrea Nerio, Eastside Memorial High School senior: "It's not fair for us as students who have watched many teachers leave our school because of low support from AISD. End a partnership with IDEA."
• IDEA founder and CEO Tom Torkelson: "My promise to our parents is that IDEA Public Schools will stick with them because they have stuck by us."

What is a charter school?

Open-enrollment charter schools are free public schools that often offer a nontraditional, personalized classroom environment. Charter school leaders have autonomy and freedom to manage their school, but students still must meet state academic standards for all public schools, such as State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). Both charter and public schools receive state funds based on the average daily attendance of students. However, charter schools do not receive funds from local tax revenue, and they do not receive state facilities funding.

Source: Texas Charter Schools Association