Community members weigh in on Allan ES campus use

In December, the AISD board terminated the district's contract with IDEA, which was operating an in-district charter at the school. Since then, IDEA Allan has reopened at a temporary location in Southwest Austin and held its first open house Oct. 15.

The AISD board advised the administration not to reopen the Allan building as a school for 2013–14 and now is assessing a variety of options and seeking public input on how to use the campus.

About 30 community members including teachers, parents and residents broke into small groups at the Oct. 16 meeting to share their comments with Austin Voices for Education and Youth, a local organization that helps institutions such as AISD collect data.

Attendee Justine Salsbury said she thinks Austin would benefit from transforming the campus into a workforce development center offering training in trades such as construction, cosmetology and computer literacy.

Parent Angelica Rivera said she opposed that idea, as well as the option of turning the site into a boys' school.

"It would be better as an elementary or junior high school," she said.

Other schools in the area are overcrowded as a result of Allan's closure, she said, adding her first grader had to transfer to Govalle Elementary when Allan shuttered.

"I feel like my son doesn't get a proper education at Govalle Elementary. he's not getting the structure, the discipline or the education, any of that, with one teacher and 35 kids in one crowded classroom the size of a restroom," she said.

Johnston High School alumnus Pete Montoya said he thinks a middle school would be the best use of the campus.

"We need a feeder school, and in my opinion, making [the Allan campus] a junior high school would fill that need," he said.

Attendees emphasized board trustees should consider what is best for the neighborhood.

"I don't know what kind of data they're looking at they need to come down to the community and see what's really going on," Noyola said.

Additional community meetings will take place Nov. 6 and Dec. 4. More information is available at www.austinisd.org/community/allan/input.