The Austin ISD board of trustees meet Aug. 16 to further discuss a new high school magnet program for the district.[/caption]

The Austin ISD board of trustees continued its years-long discussion about a potential new high school magnet program in South Austin during its work session meeting Aug. 15 by evaluating funding scenarios, including a building a new high school in either Northeast or South Austin.

District staff presented the board with options: Either repurpose a South Austin school to serve 1,100 students for $16 million, or build a new high school in Northeast or South Austin to serve 2,000 students for $134 million.

If the district proceeds with repurposing the existing school, then it would occur at an under-enrolled South Central Austin high school, said Edmund Oropez, AISD Chief Officer For Teaching and Learning. If the district chooses to build a new high school, it would need about 50 acres, $12 million to buy land in Northeast Austin, or $10 million-$24 million for South Austin land, with construction beginning three years after the district obtains funding.

Staff asked the board if it supports administration’s recommendation to launch a comprehensive, high school magnet program, and if it prefers one scenario or another. Trustees who spoke had other concerns and did not commit to a scenario.

Trustee Julie Cowan, inquiring about why Northeast and South Austin were presented as the two choices for a new high school, asked why Central Austin was not listed. Oropez said Central Austin is an option, although it was not in the presentation.

Trustee Paul Saldaña, representing South Austin, said every time this conversation about a new high school magnet comes back to the board, not enough is being done to educate the community about the existing rigorous programming at South Austin high schools.

“I’m not prepared to make any recommendations about what I do or do not want to see,” Saldaña said.

Trustee Yasmin Wagner, representing Southwest Austin, also did not prefer one scenario over another, saying there was not enough substantial information as to what the new school’s curriculum should be.

“I don’t want to place just a magnet [school] in South Austin for the sake of placing a magnet in South Austin,” Wagner said. “I want to make sure that we are architecting a strong and successful model that will best serve not only the students of Southwest Austin but all the students in the district that can take advantage of this program.”