Austin ISD to request proposals for owned properties

The land is used as an educational nature preserve for Small Middle School’s Green Tech Academy students, said Trustee Amber Elenz, who represents District 5, which includes the Travis Country neighborhood and portions of the 78735 ZIP code.

Austin High School and several of its feeder elementary schools are discussing using the land as an environmental science lab, Elenz said.

“I am open to any creative ideas, especially any that increase educational opportunities for AISD students,” Elenz said. “In a perfect world those ideas would also mesh with the desires of the Travis Country community.”

Superintendent Paul Cruz said the RFP is not just about selling the properties.

“It is truly about exploring other options and other opportunities,” Cruz said.

The approval of the resolution does not require the board or district to move forward with a proposal it may receive, Cruz said.

Several trustees also wanted to refute the belief that potential transactions involving the properties are primarily for making money.

“We are not in dire need of taking a lowball offer; we are not in dire need of income tomorrow,” Elenz said. “We have some time and breathing room to be creative and community-driven in seeking more academic opportunities for our kids.”

Another notable property for which proposals will be sought is the Carruth Administration Center in downtown Austin at 1111 W. Sixth St., which is where AISD administration works and the board meets.

One property, the former Allan Elementary School at 4900 Gonzales St. in East Austin, became a point of contention for several speakers during public comment March 28. Speakers urged the board to take the property off the RFP list. Trustee Jayme Mathias said there are nine nonprofit organizations currently at the facility that provide services such as preparing adults for work and assisting early childhood learners, and neighborhood residents do not want the service providers to leave the building.

“Hearing from [the nonprofits], the desire is not so much to holding on to this aging, increasingly inefficient facility,” Mathias said. “The focus is more, ‘How do we dream about this property and what could be there?’ There are currently 9 undeveloped acres on that property.”

The board approved by a 6-3 vote an amendment proposed by Mathias that allows the service providers at Allan Facility to remain in the area in case someone buys the property and honors the history of Allan Facility and its past iterations as schools.

Trustee Yasmin Wagner, who voted against the amendment, said adding more language to the resolution could inadvertently make AISD “hamstrung” by it. Instead, the language should be “stripped to its purest form” so that a full range of options from proposers can be revealed, she said.