Austin ISD plans to begin a community engagement process regarding future use of the former Allan Elementary School campus, which closed for the 2013–14 school year.
During its Sept. 23 work session, the AISD board of trustees discussed potential options and reached a consensus that the district should work with local organization Austin Voices, which has helped the school district conduct community engagement about other issues in the past, to gain public feedback on how to use the Allan campus. After that, depending on the type of project the board approves, the design process could take several months, and funding would have to come from the district's maintenance and operations budget, according to board documents.
Trustee Jayme Mathias asked AISD Superintendent Meria Carstarphen whether it would be possible to reopen the campus as a school in the 2014–15 school year.
"It's unlikely, but depending on what it is, you know, I guess it could be possible," Carstarphen said, noting it would depend largely on the programming design for such a school and adding she is unsure whether the necessary public engagement could fit into an 11-month time frame.
