Earlier in January, the Austin ISD board of trustees began reviewing proposed district improvement projects for a potential $889 million bond package. In the cafeteria of Crockett High School on Jan. 22, about 20 members of the AISD community chimed in with questions, comments and concerns about proposed projects for the possible May bond.

All the attendees—including parents, teachers and one sixth-grade student—spoke in favor of the bond, asking the board to make sure the final package includes specific improvements at their schools.

The hearing was held in preparation for board action Feb. 25 that would call for a bond election in May, according to board documents.

Community offers bond feedback

Bond program referendum funds can only be used for capital improvements including new construction and restorations. A bond referendum has a predefined scope, and once it has been passed, all work funded by that referendum must align with the scope. Proposed projects include four new elementary schools, a college preparatory school for young men, plans for design and feasibility of a new south high school, and renovations at several sites.

Attendees at the Jan. 22 meeting asked for improvements at Anderson High School, McCallum High School, Murchison Middle School and Zilker Elementary School.

Jeff Owen, one of Murchison's band directors, said that with 1,490 students at his school and 490 in its band program, some classes are being taught in hallways and closets.

"It's incredibly overcrowded," he said, adding: "Please push this bond forward. We are very much in need."

Speaking on behalf of parents at McCallum High School, Susan Moffat explained that fine arts students dance on a gymnasium floor, which escalates injuries and harms their joints over time. She asked that the district provide a dedicated dance facility with shock-absorbing floors, noting the school requested one during the 2008 bond but was told to wait until a new bond in 2010.

"Then the recession happened, it's now 2013, and our students are still working in unsafe conditions."

A sixth-grade student from the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders asked the board to allocate more funding to her school and move forward with its plans to establish a school for boys.

Anderson parents asked for athletics improvements at their school.

Heather Way, representing Zilker's campus advisory council, said the bond package should reduce the district's use of portable classrooms.

"We're very excited about the bond task force recommendations for our school, recommending a new gym and a fine arts wing," she said. "But I'm here to speak about portables because we are disappointed to see that the bond task force recommendations do little in the way to to address our district's over-reliance on portables."

She said portables are inadequate long-term facilities solutions and cited statistics including that AISD has the highest number of portables per student in the state. Zilker has relied on portables instead of permanent classrooms for almost 60 years, she said.

Trustees consider feedback, projects

After the hearing, the board discussed the Citizens Bond Advisory Committee's recommendations to Superintendent Meria Carstarphen on the preliminary scope of work.

Carstarphen and the trustees asked CBAC representatives to address some of the attendees' questions. One AISD official explained there isn't enough money to replace all the portables and that the district might never have enough money, but the CBAC can take another look at its approach.

The CBAC also clarified that the bond package includes $2.2M to address locker rooms used by McCallum's dance students, but there are no provisions to improve the dance floors as requested by parents.

A $30 million natatorium was one of the projects the CBAC deemed an "inappropriate" use of funding, but it is considering a partnership with the YMCA for a joint-use swim center as another option. Trustee Robert Schneider pointed out that in the past, joint-use agreements have not always worked out as desired.

Schneider asked for the CBAC to provide more information including detailed data showing the percentages of portables used in the district, feedback on how portables tie in with impervious cover issues and data on school overcrowding.

Another public hearing on the potential bond is scheduled for Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m. at Reagan High School, 7104 Berkman Drive.