Julia Lund, a 10th grade art student at Bowie High School, is having a pretty memorable weekend. Reagan Outdoor Advertising selected her stunning self-portrait to appear on ten billboards throughout the city to promote Austin Independent School District's Youth Art Month. more ›

A.I.S.D.'s $700 million budget is official, and was approved by the board last night. Big picture? No schools will close, and this year's earlier $100 million budget shortfall was closed (KUT reports the shortfall was closer to $35 million, but who's counting?). Though thousands of district teachers are still left holding a pink slip, there's a new tussle in the budget ring: historic tax exemptions. The exemptions give significant tax breaks to owners of historic buildings, and though the program was suspended earlier this year, it was reinstated for another year last night. The program's opponents claim the system is being abused, and that the school district has no business subsidizing so-called 'wealthy homeowners'. more ›

While Austin students are enjoying the last few (and mercilessly hot) days of summer, AISD teachers reported back this week. Tuesday, Superintendent Meria Carstarphen held her second "virtual convocation" for all staff members, opening up the 2011 school year and painfully referring to the previous one as the "school year that won't end". The budget crisis is far from over. The school board will meet Monday to further discuss the shortfall of 2010. With $35 million cut and $20 million to be cut in the near future, the message was upbeat but not entirely positive. Dr. Carstarphen declared there would be no financial exigency in 2011 and no more RIFs. She also promised there "would be no surprises from administration after budget action Monday." However, she went further to say that there "would be no sacred cows" either. To quote Dr. Carstarphen, "We are a business of people... it's time to let go of the stuff that isn't important." One can only infer the "stuff" she's referring to are the buildings that were already threatened by the Facilities Master Plan. The Superintendent will be making a recommendation in September regarding budget cuts to be enacted as early as November. It's beginning to look a lot like 2010 all over again. more ›

While the previous school year was wrought with budget cuts, layoffs and the threat of school closures, this new year is starting out on a positive note. more ›

At the school board meeting on June 20th, superintendent Meria Carstarphen presented some preliminary TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) results. Two middle schools were discussed in depth -- Pearce and Garcia Middle Schools. Both are looking at an Academically Unacceptable rating for the next two years. more ›

After layoffs and the threat of school closures, AISD is looking to shore up the precarious 2012-2013 budget. Along with many other money-saving measures, the Trustees have been discussing raising property taxes 9 cents per $100 of assessed property value. more ›

Monday night's School Board meeting saw the official approval of the Reduction in Force job cuts. Though 361 staff members have avoided being laid-off by resigning, retiring or taking other positions, 490 employees are jobless; 302 are not under contract and will not be rehired. more ›

At Monday night's meeting Austin School Board members opted to not vote on a proposal that would offer financial incentives for teacher resignations. While this plan seems to have had some success in Dallas, AISD is in a unique position, having already informed teachers of their impending lay-off. Offering a pay-out to already RIF'd teachers opens up the potential for double-dipping (taking the incentive and applying for unemployment benefits as well) and could end up costing AISD more than it would save. And, by the way, RIF'd (laid off due to a Reduction in Force) is quite the euphemism for what is looking to be a teacher massacre here in Austin. more ›

As the Wall Street Journal reports, Texas Republicans and Democrats are "dueling" over $830 million in education funding currently sitting at the federal Department of Education. more ›

Our pal Chris Bradford at the Austin Contrarian goes deep on 2011 census data for 78704 and finds, contrary to the perceptions of many neighborhood residents, that the number of kids in the central south Austin zip code declined by almost 18% over the last ten years, despite the fact that the housing stock grew by 10% in that period. This could have implications for plans to close neighborhood elementary schools. We hope it will put more pressure on city council to re-think policies that are pushing families out of central Austin. more ›

• Ta-ta UK, Hallå Sweden: Assange to be extradited
• Qaddafi loyalists mass at Tripoli, rebellion pushing west
• No plan B for Apple quite yet

Just a few weeks after the Austin Independent School District voted to eliminate nearly 500 jobs, administrators are meeting today to discuss doubling those cuts. more ›

As the city reels from Monday's announcement by AISD that they would be eliminating nearly 500 jobs, the Austin Neighborhood Council met Wednesday night to discuss the potential school closures. more ›

Last night the Austin School Board met to muddle over how best to deal with a troubled budget. Suggested cuts have included the possible closing of schools and laying-off about 536 staff. The school board refrained from slashing the budget for school librarians -- that $600,000 will have to be found elsewhere -- but did vote to eliminate 485 other positions, a majority of which are teachers. These cuts will go into effect next school year. AISD expects to use about $28 million from savings to aid the budget, with teachers' merit pay reduced and no performance bonus for Superintendent Carstarphen. Unfortunately, school closings aren't off the table . . . they will be discussed as that AISD task force meets tonight. [KUT] more ›

• Today's holiday getaway location: Tunisia (ok, not so much)
• Biden taps Clinton aide. What do you think this is about?
• Sarah Palin to speak at gun convention. Anyone else a bit unnerved by this idea?

Austin can proudly claim the oldest continuously running public school in Texas... at the moment. Currently, and according to the recommendation of Dejong Richter (a facilities planning corporation ... and defense contractor), AISD is considering closing many schools, historic ol' Pease included. It has been claimed that Pease, an all transfer school, has no community, no neighborhood. It does. Austin is its neighborhood. Pease serves students from 27 Austin zip codes, from the highest and lowest socioeconomic brackets. The diversity at Pease is largely unheard of, anywhere. Maintaining excellence (Pease is rated exemplary) while serving such a diverse population proves Pease isn't just doing something right, it's doing a lot right. more ›

The Austin Independent School District’s Facility Master Plan Task Force has recommended closing Barton Hills, Brooke, Joslin, Oak Springs, Ortega, Pease, Sanchez and Zilker elementary schools and Pearce Middle School. The task force also recommends building 3 new elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. The schools to be closed are mainly in or around central Austin, while the new schools would be in the outlying suburbs. This is an expensive problem for AISD taxpayers, resulting in underutilization of existing infrastructure and costly subsidies for sprawl development. more ›

• World peace requires high tech stealth weapons.
• Everyone in London, please panic. Pretty please?
• More proof that men are just big old meanies.

Monday evening Austin Independent School District ("AISD") board members voted down a measure that would have allowed a tax election this November. The property tax increase on the ballot would have funded a three percent raise for teacher salaries, a pre-kindergarten program, and a one-time investment to East Austin schools. more ›

• Early voting ends today!
• Stack's widow will be dropped from wrongful death suit.
• Chinese solar manufacturing company proposing $20.7 million Austin plant.

• China fires back at cyber attack charges.
• Obama on his first year in office.
• KUT's Erika Aguilar was at the Capitol yesterday when shots were fired.

Texas AG Abbott filing against GM bankruptcy. Supreme Court won't take on the border fence case involving Texas counties. Hiring freeze: AISD no longer hiring teachers. Elsa Murano forced to resign as president of A&M? Elgin man arrested after robbing a topless dancer. APD launches web-based crime alerts. more ›

GOP women and Hutchison supporters raising a ruckus over "whorehouse" comment made by Perry strategist. House Dems say that bringing up the voter ID bill might mean less time for other important legislation this session Robbie Knievel will jump Congress Avenue at 11th Street as part of the ROT Bike Rally in June. Good news: number of cars being stolen in the state is decreasing. Bad news: number of car break-ins is way up. City releases 911 calls from last week's shootings near Springdale. Oops: Austin ambulance was seriously damaged when it smashed into a toll booth barrier on 45 near 130 last week. There was no patient in it at the time. Pat Forgione gives his last press conference as AISD superintendent. Kid from The Colony wins the National Geography Bee. more ›

Low turnout for early voting so far. Firefighters talk about yesterday's apartment fire. DPS director resigns amid allegations of touching women in his office inappropriately and other unprofessional behavior. Bill up before state legislature would require sex offenders to register online. Hill Country Galleria files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. UT student may have swine flu. Do you know how much your school district superintendent makes? more ›

• Gov. Perry issues disaster declaration for the state as swine flu cases increase in number (to 16).
• State lawmakers were warned 14 months ago that Texas was ill-equipped to deal with a flu outbreak.
• Possible swine flu case leads to closing of AISD's Lucy Read Pre-K (til May 11).

• Dell to lay off hundreds of employees.
• New Austin superintendent hasn't stuck with a position for longer than 3 years since the mid-90's.
• When you went to bed last night, the State Senate was still working on the Voter ID bill.

City Manager Ott removes library hour cutbacks from his proposed cuts today. Mayoral candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn held a presser yesterday, speaking about council member salaries and library budget cuts. TxDOT Commission will hold special meeting next Thursday on projects to be funded by stimulus package. Burned corpse found yesterday morning belongs to a woman last seen attending Mardi Gras festivities on Sixth Street. Lago Vista man found with about 200 grams of meth in his car seat. Current St. Paul superintendent named lone finalist for AISD superintendent position. 91-year-old Pflugerville resident who played a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz has died. more ›

StimulusWatch.org is a volunteer-compiled wiki that lists all of the proposed "shovel-ready" projects that each city has proposed. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, as the stimulus package is officially called, won't directly fund any of these projects, but if passed will allocate the money necessary to enable some of these. more ›

Update on the AISD teacher/Linux debacle: HeliOS Project head Ken Starks feels bad about blogosphere reaction, saying, "I'm really and sincerely sorry from the bottom of my heart that I caused her grief." The new central library will be designed by Lake/Flato and Shepley Bulfinch, City Council decided today. Colt McCoy a Heisman finalist. Police believe that the Steiner Ranch shooter may be dead; they are still looking for him (or his body). City approves $1 million settlement for the 2005 shooting death of Daniel Rocha. Woman assaulted last night while waiting at a UT bus stop on Dean Keeton. Drunk San Marcos woman backed her truck into the wall of an apartment, injuring a 12-year-old boy as he slept in his bedroom. more ›

In an age where Windows and OS X reign supreme, it's no wonder that a local AISD middle school teacher became enraged upon discovering one of her students distributing bootleg copies of an operating system in class. more ›