Austin ISD officials seek community input on repurposing Sims Elementary School

Sims Elementary School was built in 1956 on 7.95 acres in East Austin at 1203 Springdale Road, Austin. After the 2020-21 school year, it was merged with Norman Elementary School, located at 4001 Tannehill Lane, Austin, to form the modernized Norma-Sims Elementary School.

Officials are asking the community to help decide what to do with the 44,444-square-foot empty facility. In 2019, the AISD board of trustees approved the implementation of the School Changes Plan. This plan was put in place to create new opportunities for ways campuses can be repurposed to support their surrounding communities, the AISD website reads.

Some of the options to be considered include:

• Affordable housing
• Workforce housing
• Creative space
• Vocational and shared workspaces
• Mixed-use community centers
• Child care facilities
• Educational gardens

Striffler said officials will take everything they hear during the survey and community engagement events and will begin a feasibility study during the summer. The feasibility study will include:

• Environmental effects and costs of any future use of the site
• Effects on the surrounding community
• Financial viability
• Ability to be used efficiently in the current layout
• Any zoning restrictions or allowances on the site

“Long term, what we are hearing so far is possibly reusing the building as a resilience hub—with a community garden, community services, a vocational training center and other similar services,” Striffler said. “It could be a ground-up built community center with a mix of education, health and wellness, and a way for the surrounding community to support local businesses and ways to keep money in the neighborhood.”

Get involved

Austin residents, regardless of which school they live near, are encouraged to take the survey before the end of June, Striffler said.

“These multigenerational conversations have been so exciting and encouraging,” Striffler said. “Both older and younger voices are being heard and collaborating. We want to emphasize the importance for everyone to make their voice heard in this process. It is important to participate in this instead of being passive.”