For months now the Facilities and Bond Planning Advisory Committee, or FABPAC, has been meeting and consulting with the public to determine the future use of schools and facilities in Austin ISD. Preliminary recommendations suggest a significant number of school consolidations and modernizations, resulting in a fair amount of feedback from neighborhood groups and parents alike. In late March, the recommendations formed by the committee will come before the board of trustees for a vote. On Monday night, FABPAC members appeared at the board's work session to present their progress and solicit feedback. Here are four areas of concern voiced by the board members in response:

• Need for clarity: Trustees Cindy Anderson and Amber Elenz said they would like to see a clearer definition of facility "modernization"—or the act of bringing schools into the 21st century by incorporating flexible learning spaces, state-of-the-art technology and community support areas. Elenz said its imperative for parents to understand what the term means so they can recognize the need for modernization within their neighborhood schools.


• Further engagement with affected schools and communities: Although the FABPAC has solicited community feedback through a variety of community engagement series events, trustee Paul Saldaña said he did not feel there has been adequate effort by the FABPAC to communicate directly with specific schools and communities directly impacted by the proposed consolidations. Trustee Jayme Mathias echoed this sentiment, mentioning that very few parents and community members from the Sanchez Elementary School attendance zone have participated in community engagement events.


• Beware of overcommitment: Trustee Julie Cowan worried the FABPAC's promise of incorporating community support spaces within every school might be too ambitious. Instead she suggested it be reserved for schools where the community has expressed a specific need for the space. She also called upon the committee to partner with other entities to provide these resources rather than expecting the district to shoulder that burden alone.


• Revised timeline: Certain recommendations have solicited a significant amount of pushback from community members, namely the proposed consolidations of Joslin, Ridgetop and Dawson elementaries with nearby schools. Trustee Ann Teich wondered if it might be appropriate to pull those items out for a separate vote. With a proposed June vote by the board to move forward with a bond election in November, Teich suggested taking a careful look at the timeline and deciding what is the most efficient and effective way to move forward, considering some recommendations are more controversial than others.