The Latest from Austin ISD

"Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord,
But a just weight is His delight."
Proverbs 11:1

We can't even:

The Austin school board Monday night approved hiring a marketing firm to help boost student enrollment. 

The board approved a $350,000 contract with Sanders/Wingo Adversting, Inc. to serve as a marketing consultant for the district, which has seen student enrollment dwindle in the past three years. 

The one-year contract is part of the district’s multi-faceted plan to increase student numbers. Austin schools have already expanded prekindergarten to 3-year-olds, started advertising on billboards and on the sides of buses, and enlisted the help of local real estate agents to spread the word about new school programs and improvements made in recent years. The contract funds will come from $800,000 already designated in the budget toward marketing efforts; about $52,000 will go to the firm, with the remaining amount to be spent on advertising and media buys.

It gets better:

The Austin school district is moving forward with plans to purchase two parcels of land for one or two future high schools in southern Austin — with the intent for one to be in Southwest Austin, and one in Southeast.

The school board will make the long-awaited announcement Monday that it has directed staff members to begin pursuing the purchase of two tracts meeting 16-point criteria that include size, topography and environmental issues.

Administrators and land-use consultants recently provided the board with a list of possible parcels, ranked by how well each meets the criteria.

....

Trustees would need to call for another bond to begin designing or building a new school, and it’s unclear when such an option would come before voters.

[Author's Note: Emphasis added.]

Bottom Line: Remember, Austin ISD is HALF your property tax bill.