CAN meetings are in blue and Issue Area Group meetings are in red. Other community events are not colored.

Category: C.A.N. Events Calendar
Date: Thursday, January 13, 2011 - 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

The Austin School District’s Facility Master Plan Task Force will hold two Community Meetings next week to receive public input on the development of the Facility Master Plan.

This meeting will be held at the Burger Center, located in South Central Austin at 3200 Jones Rd.

Each Community Meeting will address options for specific schools and facilities at the Districtwide level. Options will be posted on the AISD website, http://www.austinisd.org, prior to the first meeting on January 12.

The meetings are the next critical step in the process that began in March 2010 to develop a comprehensive Facility Master Plan for the Austin School District. The plan will enable the District to reduce operating costs by achieving greater facility efficiency, while being responsive to changes in student enrollment. With budget constraints across the District, developing a plan that guides efficient and effective use of District facility resources into the future is an important part of maintaining AISD’s fiscal responsibility to its taxpayers.

The Task Force is scheduled to present its Recommended Facility Master Plan to the AISD Board of Trustees on March 7, with action by the Board pending for March 28. The final Facility Master Plan will include recommendations for new schools and additions, building replacements, renovation, consolidation, repurposing, attendance zones, and vertical alignments to be implemented over a 10-year period.

Every AISD campus will be impacted by the plan, and feedback from members of the entire AISD community is critical to ensuring the recommendations that shape the plan have taken into consideration the needs of AISD students, parents, teachers, and staff.

The Facility Master Plan Task Force is composed of 72 members who are parents, community members, students, teachers, principals, and AISD staff. The Task Force has met 15 times since its formation.

Its charge is to: · Monitor the process to ensure equity and fairness across planning areas.

· Review and confirm recommendations and resolve conflicting recommendations.

· Prepare information for and host community dialogues.

· Review and analyze community input.

· Develop and recommend the Educational Framework to the Board of Trustees.

· Develop facility options based on community input.

· Develop and recommend to the Board of Trustees the final Facility Master Plan.

The Task Force received earlier public comment during a total of nine community meetings in May, September, and October 2010.

Interested individuals unable to attend either session on January 12 or January 13 may view the presentation and complete a questionnaire online by clicking the link at http://www.austinisd.org beginning on Thursday, January 13, through Monday, January 17.

Spanish-language and sign language interpretation, and child care will be provided at the meetings.