Just reading this article from the Statesman. So the school board is trying to decide where to build two new elementary schools. They’re apparently planning on putting one in Circle C, because they promised it to developers a long time ago. And they’re also planning on putting on in another one in North Central Austin. Apparently the schools in North Austin are overcrowded with students and so they need a new school.

More likely overcrowded because of transfers students from other parts of Austin. I can’t believe that there’s been a sudden influx of families with greater than average numbers of children living in sub-1600 sq/ft houses. Perhaps if they fixed problem schools in South and East Austin they wouldn’t have every kid transferring into a North Central school.

Of course I’m biased since the school we’ll be sending Stella to is Linder Elementary. From the article (emphasis mine):

District 2 Trustee Sam Guzman, who represents East and Southeast Austin and whose term also expires in May, said he is concerned that the two proposed sites won’t relieve crowding at Linder Elementary School, which is east of Interstate 35 between Oltorf Street and Ben White Boulevard and is the most over-enrolled campus in the district.

In their recommendation, district staff members said Linder students might have to be transferred to other schools. It’s an idea that isn’t sitting well with parents in the area, Guzman said.

Guzman said he has heard from several parents about crowding and the condition of the Linder campus, which he said is showing its age and has moisture problems.

“The more and more I talk to people about it, the more it strikes me how dire the situation is there,” he said.

But the money quote is:

“Everybody wants the best for the kids they represent, but ultimately, we represent all the kids,” he said.

And by all the kids, I’m sure they mean, all the kids whose parent’s are heavily involved in community politics.

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Comments

kelli

2008-01-08T00:20:39.000Z

I find it interesting that there seems to be so much transferring in the Austin area. When I was a teacher in Carrollton (north Dallas-ish) people had to move if they wanted their kid to go to a certain school. Is that what’s going on there, or is there some kind of different system where you can send your kid to a school you’re not actually zoned for?

Tim (http://www.loadedguntheory.com/blog/director/listblog/tim.html)

2008-01-08T01:20:36.000Z

Yes. Austin has had some really entrenched institutionalized racism. They had forced busing into the nineties I believe. They now allow parents to transfer their kids from any school in the district to any other school. Which has done the same thing. Most of the schools East of Interstate 35 have almost completely minority populations even as their populations have become increasingly non-minority. White parents just transfer their kids to schools west of Interstate 35. There is a waiting list and a set number of seats, but that mostly decides whether your kid will be able to get into the fine arts magnet or the business magnet. Granted this has helped some minority kids to get out of failing schools, but there are a lot of failing schools in East Austin. One of our high schools is about to get shut down.