Board votes to convert Pearce, Garcia to new single-sex design, OKs school for young men as Ann Richards School companion

New single-sex schools are in the works for Austin ISD following votes at the board of trustees meeting Jan. 28.

Two separate options were proposed for AISD—one was for a college preparatory school for young men, and the other was for a new design to convert two existing coed middle schools into single-sex schools in District 1, which is in Northeast Austin.

Pearce, Garcia get new design

The board voted 5-3 in favor of the recommendation to turn Pearce and Garcia middle schools into two single-sex schools in District 1, starting with the 2014–15 school year. The attendance zones for each school will be combined, resulting in one school educating girls and one educating boys.

Trustees Lori Moya, Cheryl Bradley, Amber Elenz, Tamala Barksdale and board President Vincent Torres supported the recommendation, while trustees Ann Teich, Jayme Mathias and Gina Hinojosa opposed. Trustee Robert Schneider was absent from the dais. Those in favor of the change cited the need to do something different to educate students at those schools, both of which have been rated Academically Unacceptable for three of the past four years.

During discussions about bringing more single-sex education to AISD, trustees and members of the community pointed to the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders as an example of the positive impact the education style can have on students' performance.

The school opened in August 2007. District 1 trustee Cheryl Bradley said she thinks the school's focus on hiring quality leaders and instructors is an element that should be present in the new single-sex schools.

She said Garcia and Pearce currently feed into Lyndon B. Johnson Early College High School, making it the only AISD high school where the middle schools that feed into it are low-performing.

"I do want people to understand that these will be two schools where remedial education will not be the basis. Sometimes when our kids go forward from elementary to middle school, there's a gap, and middle school becomes remedial school," Bradley told Community Impact Newspaper. "What I want to see is a rigorous, strong curriculum that has the same quality as Ann Richards—and we have to keep in mind this is just middle school and not a high school—because we want the kids to be prepared for LBJ Early College High School."

The Garcia and Pearce planning team supported establishing two single-sex middle schools in a combined attendance area. Students will be able to "opt out" and attend another middle school such as Dobie, Martin, Lamar or Webb, AISD Superintendent Meria Carstarphen said.

Boys school to echo Ann Richards

The proposed districtwide college preparatory school for young men would serve as a companion school to the Ann Richards school.

With a 6-2 vote, trustees approved the proposal to renovate the Alternative Learning Center in Central Austin and establish the school at that site. Hinojosa and Barksdale opposed.

At the Jan. 28 meeting, district advisory committee member Alberto Gonzalez told trustees that the school is needed to provide equality of opportunity for male students because there is an existing college preparatory school for girls.

"I think it's the right thing, from an equity standpoint," Torres said.

The board plans to work toward securing about $22 million in funding for renovating the ALC site at 901 Neal St. and relocating its services elsewhere. The Moody Foundation had already committed up to $4.6 million for the project, contingent on board approval, Carstarphen said.

The boys school is one of the projects that has been considered and discussed by the board as part of the AISD Citizens' Bond Advisory Committee's proposed $889 million bond package for the district.

If voters decide against funding the school for young men with the bond, Carstarphen said the district will then reach out to supporters and funders to discuss other possible options.

Board, CBAC review proposed projects for bond package

Committee proposes projects to be included in bond's scope of work

Throughout January and February, the Austin ISD board of trustees considered proposed projects for a potential $889 million Austin ISD bond package.

The bond's proposed scope of work, developed by the Citizens' Bond Advisory Committee and first presented to the board Jan. 14, included four new elementary schools, a college preparatory school for young men, plans for design and feasibility of a new south high school and renovations at several schools.

At public hearings, parents, teachers and members of the community have shared comments and questions about some of the proposed projects, with many asking the board to ensure specific improvements at their schools end up in the final bond package.

The CBAC's recommendations included:

• Campus improvements for food services
• Maintenance, facility and equipment upgrades
• Districtwide transportation upgrades
• Districtwide technology upgrades
• Land acquisition
• Districtwide safety and security initiatives
• Four new elementary schools with locations based on student population growth
• New south high school (feasibility and design)
• Campus library improvements
• Fine arts facility improvements and additions
• Physical education and athletics facility improvements and additions
• Special education facility improvements
• School for young men (renovations at Alternative Learning Center)

More AISD bond information is available at www.austinisd.org.

Source: Austin ISD