Now that the plan has been approved, the Facilities and Bond Planning Advisory Committee, or FABPAC, will begin hashing out the projects identified in Phase 1, or the first six years of implementation, which is contingent upon bond funding acquired through a proposed November bond election.
"The work we have ahead of us is complex, this is a 20-25 year roadmap," Superintendent Paul Cruz said prior to the vote. "Individual questions about a bond or what will be done for design or boundaries will come, and the board will take individual votes on those specific items. We need to have that detailed info in front of us to make informed decisions."
The update to the FMP calls for five new schools, three replacements of existing schools, 62 schools to be fully modernized, 38 schools to be renovated, six schools to undergo systems upgrades, two facilities to be repurposed, and five schools to be placed on a targeted utilization plan, or TUP, list. According to the FMP, the TUP was designed to encourage the efficient utilization of school facilities and to address under-enrollment in a proactive manner, and while only five schools are currently on the list, more are expected to be added this fall.
Twenty-three amendments to the FMP were proposed by the trustees, but only four were approved.
- Trustee Edmund Gordon proposed an amendment which fast-tracks the construction of a new co-ed middle school in the Mueller development to Phase 1, or the first six years of implementation. The project was originally phased in years one through 12.
- Trustee Edmund Gordon proposed an amendment calling for the original L.C. Anderson High School building in East Austin to be rebuilt, restored and repurposed to house a variety of academic programs and comprehensive after-school tutoring programs for surrounding schools and to contain space for community activities to commemorate the building’s history as the center of Austin’s African-American community. The project will be prioritized in the first six years of implementation.
- Trustee Paul Saldaña proposed an amendment that the 23 schools below 75 percent capacity will receive prioritized communication and marketing resources and support.
- Trustee Paul Saldaña proposed an amendment which would consider factors such as whether a school has been recognized by the Texas Education Agency as high performing or if it has a record of closing achievement gaps before making the decision to close it based on under-enrollment.
The motion to approve the plan passed 6-3-0, with Trustees Edmund Gordon, who represents Northeast Austin; Jayme Mathias, who represents Southeast Austin; and Paul Saldaña, who district straddles Southeast and Southwest Austin, dissenting based on their opinion that some parts of the plan were inequitable to certain areas of the district.
