The sounds of guitars, violins and vocals rang through the halls of Navarro Early College High School Aug. 20 as students and staff kicked off the first day of school. The school’s mariachi band welcomed Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura and other administrators to the campus, and a senior cosmetology student gave Segura a haircut.

Segura also visited Menchaca Elementary School, Andrews Elementary School and Covington Middle School Aug. 20 to mark the beginning of the 2024-25 school year.

A day earlier, the AISD board voted 8-1 to place a tax rate increase on the Nov. 5 ballot. The measure asks residents to approve an 8.3% increase to their property tax bills, which would reduce the district’s $119 million budget deficit and fund pay raises for teachers and other staff.Zooming in

Navarro ECHS offers dozens of career and technical education courses, from criminal justice to veterinary medicine and cosmetology to welding. The North Austin high school serves about 1,700 students from more than 53 countries.

“[We might] enroll 30 kids straight from Cuba this year, but we’ll also have 30 seniors who are graduating with an associate's degree,” Navarro ECHS principal Steven Covin told Community Impact. “I think that's the fun and challenging part of a school like this — meeting the needs of such a wide range of students with different needs and interests and experiences with education.”

Covin said he expected Navarro would enroll “more [new] kids today than some high schools in our district will enroll in the whole school year, and that’s not exaggerating.” He said he loves seeing students from diverse backgrounds find programs they connect with and “graduate with such great outcomes.”

Senior cosmetology student Yaritza Perez cut Segura’s hair in the campus salon Aug. 20.

“I noticed that cutting human hair is easier, because it’s a lot more flexible [than a mannequin’s hair] and more fun,” Perez said.More details

Covin said he loved having the superintendent on campus to ring in the new school year.

“I don't think there's anything [Segura] likes to do more than go to campuses and interact with kids and teachers,” Covin said. “That's always great to have in a superintendent, because, well, not all superintendents are like that.”

Covin said he is excited to create new programs and further develop existing ones this year. He said the mariachi program started with just a few students during the COVID-19 pandemic, and grew to include dozens of members.