Austin ISD awaits decision on proposed EMHS improvement plan

The plan outlines initiatives to be achieved by schools in the vertical team. For example, the vertical team will explore integrating fine arts into the school's existing science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, focus areas. Additionally, the six elementary schools in the Eastside Memorial vertical team will implement a program that requires five-minute daily assessments, daily math warm-ups, math vocabulary reviews, ongoing professional development and implementation of a STAAR-aligned resource to ensure students have the necessary stamina for the four-hour standardized test.

Ken Zarifis, president of Education Austin, which is part of the Texas branch of the American Federation of Teachers, said the turnaround at EMHS that is outlined in the proposed plan will take time.

"We didn't get to this place at Eastside overnight, and we won't leave this place and improve overnight. We want measurable growth and accountability," he said.

Meghan Buchanan, an EMHS teacher, said she hopes the plan at EMHS will emphasize more support for the arts as well as a push for parental involvement.

Trustees already approved a contract May 20 with Talent Development Secondary as the partnering entity for EMHS. Larry Amaro, a representative of the civil rights group League of United Latin American Citizens District 12, said his district opposes that partnership.

"Right now we're going in the wrong direction," he said.

Monica Guzmn, a member of LULAC District 7, told the board she and other members of her district supported the partnership and moving forward with the implementation plan.

The plan replaces the IDEA Public Schools program to create an in-district charter college prep school, a contract that the board canceled Dec. 17. Superintendent Meria Carstarphen has said that the TEA commissioner has the statutory authority to close EMHS based on AISD's failure to implement a reconstitution plan at the school. The district launched that plan several years ago to save the academically struggling campus and approved a contract with IDEA in 2011 to lead improvement there. The district must plan for the future of the school to prevent the TEA from ordering closure.

Trustee Jayme Mathias noted that under the approved Johns Hopkins program implementation plan, if the school were rated Academically Unacceptable by the TEA for two consecutive school years starting with 2014–15, the board would have to close EMHS for at least one full school year.

The board made three changes to the plan, adding: a legal disclaimer that if anything in the plan is found to be illegal, the rest of the plan will remain in place, direction that the board should receive regular reports on progress and a clarification emphasizing the importance of parental involvement in the school community.

According to the district, the TEA commissioner is expected to make his decision soon.

"AISD has been and remains fully committed to finding a pathway to ensure the success of Eastside Memorial students. We will continue to build upon our investments to help the school succeed," Carstarphen said in a district news release. "Moving forward, we are pleased to have worked collaboratively with the TEA and the community to develop a plan that will provide our school, our students and our community with the additional support they need and deserve."