Will AISD schools be worth attending after the budget cuts? (Austin: how much, school district)
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Aids sucks! More than 60 percent of students are economically disadvantage.class sizes will know increase to 37 or so. Over 100k teachers in Texas are losing jobsl
AISD to me is like the Board of Education in New York City. I went to Board of Ed schools and I turned out just fine. I went to a crappy high school too and did just fine. Schools can change at any given time, even if there weren't closures. Zoning changes are a good example. Nothing is truly concrete as the population expands. I truly doubt your children, esp. if you live in the Barton/Zilker area, are going to be dummies or shortchanged.
"Blacks and Mexican-Americans are not academically competitive with whites in selective institutions. It is the result primarily of cultural effects. It seems to be the case that, various studies seem to show, that blacks and Mexican-Americans spend much less time in school. They have a culture that seems not to encourage achievement. Failure is not looked upon with disgrace.'' (Emphasis added.) Lino Graglia, UT Law Professor, 1997
I was a student at UT when Mr. Graglia made these statements. Your post, in particular the part I have in bold, brought them back to mind. I recall the maelstrom which followed his words and oftentimes the pursuant discussions were more hurtful and devoid of logic than Mr. Graglia's words themselves. It did much to make me feel even more unwanted on the UT campus. In one of my classes, a government class about Latino Politics, my professor, Rodolfo O. De La Garza, who now teaches at Columbia, permitted us to talk about the debate. He'd heard a few students discussing the topic before the start of class and wanted to know where his students stood on the matter. Now bear in mind that though this was a Latino Politics course a majority of the students were white. The course was a GOV 312L, required to fulfill degree requirements, it was the only thing some of them could get into. Many were not all that interested in the content.
Upon invitation a lively debate ensued and most of the comments did not say anything new. Some: "I think he's saying something that's true. It's an ugly truth that we don't want to acknowledge." Others: "He's being racist." It was not that simple. I was a timid sophomore and did not raise my hand to offer my own insight. I believed that Mr. Graglia was speaking nonsense. Latinos and African Americans were underrepresented in places of higher education, not because they did not view failure with disdain, but because they had long been denied models of what success looks like, what it could be to have a tradition of higher education, professionalism, and success. I would have cited LBJ, "You do not wipe away the scars of centuries by saying: 'now, you are free to go where you want, do as you desire, and choose the leaders you please.' You do not take a man who for years has been hobbled by chains, liberate him, bring him to the starting line of a race, saying, "you are free to compete with all the others," and still justly believe you have been completely fair [...]"
But I wouldn't have expected many of them to understand. Because quite a few of them had never known what it was like to have someone look at you and deem that you were probably not capable of more. Many of them did indeed have mothers and fathers who were active participants in their educational decisions. Quite a few of them had relatives who'd attended UT before them. My only connection to the school was that my grandmother had been a cleaning lady at Jester dormitory (she was from Mexico, but UT didn't ever ask for her papers, she was good enough to clean their floors) and when I was a little girl she would bring me pens she found because she knew I loved pens and writing. I was a strange child. Many of them had parents who could teach them about the importance of the SAT, show them how to fill out a FAFSA (if they even needed a FAFSA), and how to fill out a college application. But there were others, others like me, who had parents who worked 12-14 hour days (my father was a furniture mover and my mother cleaned hotel rooms at the Hilton, this was a step up from the time she'd worked in a meat packing plant.) Many of us did not know people who could afford expensive SAT prep courses, afford tutors, or take AP courses (often not extensively offered at our schools). Many of us worked throughout high school and in college. We didn't just work summer jobs, we always worked.
In my sophomore year of high school a counselor approached me about the prospect of attending the Liberal Arts Academy. I asked her what it was as I had no idea. She offered a nice counselor-like explanation and ended the pitch by informing me I'd have to wake up at 6am to attend and be bused to the school. I said no. Why? Because I had no reference point. I didn't know that it would have been an opportunity for me to really become exceptional, to truly engross myself in learning. I just knew it meant getting up early and I was only 15. And guess what? My parents didn't know what it was either (I lived with my father during this time), so they were not able to steer me toward what was, looking back, a decision I regret not having made. But I had no models. It was not because I came from a family that did not "care about education."
At one point during that classroom discussion Professor De la Garza had tears in his eyes and turned away from his. With his back to us he said, "I'm sorry. It's just that I get so angry when I hear someone say things like this. Look at pop culture. It's filled with examples of people who are told not to educate themselves, look at Breaking Away, Rudy, or go back to Thomas Hardy and Jude the Obscure. None of those people are Latino or Black! It's wrong to believe something so incorrect." After this class, after watching my professor so free to shed tears and reveal his passion, I decided I wanted to study policy. I became a Government major because of Dr. De La Garza, for better or worse.
I will not, by any means, pretend my personal experience can be grafted onto others and serve to pacify those who hunger for quantitative support to every statement made in this forum. I only know that I did not come from a "family with money", much less one with a tradition of higher education and professional success. In some ways I am saddened to recognize I have not done right by those who came before me. I'm jobless, penniless, and bordering on hopeless. Even so, I did get my diploma. And I did in spite of people who believe that I am borne of a class or demographic which doesn't "value education." Nothing could be further from the truth. I would put my intellect against those who are purported to have a higher value for education any day. I am intelligent, inquisitive, and always willing to feast on new knowledge, and nothing has ever stopped me from being as much or partaking often. Not being on free lunch, living in Section 8 housing, or being a Black/Latina woman shuttling between unmarried parents. If I hadn't met the occasional teacher and had the occasional class which made recognize the power of learning and the breadth of the world's knowledge supply, perhaps I would not have attended university. So maybe taking some of those good teachers and putting them in front of the children so many are willing to forsake may have the impact you claim it won't. I may not have come from a family that's supposed to love education, but I did come from a family full of love, an appreciation for hard work, and a recognition that nothing comes easy.
Having said all of that, to the OP, I say this: You have the power to make your child's education a meaningful experience. If you have the ability to be involved in your child's experience, chances are that will be of significance. Everyone has their opinion about what will make for a better education. Money, private schools, charter schools, technology. Many it's a little bit of all of it? Maybe it's none of it. My personal feeling is it starts with your child. A child can have all of the resources any parent could dream to give their child and still just not enjoy school. It can be worth it if you are able to cogently communicate as much to your child.
For the record, I attended AISD. I attended what most on this board would probably describe as some of the worst of Austin's schools (Oaks Springs, Dobie Middle School, Lanier), but I made it, despite what some view as what makes someone "care about" education.
I didnt even realize the AISD schools were facing budget cuts. Is this yet another area that the city can't manage it's money on??
Quote:
Originally Posted by yam
I've been looking to move to the Barton/Zilker area for a while. The schools have been one of the major draws for me. Obviously the immediate problem is whether the schools will even exist next year, but it seems like the issue is a bit more complex than that.
Even if the neighborhood schools will remain open, what will be left of them? Based on the last few days of press releases, it sounds like the schools will be devoid of teachers, librarians, or anything else besides administrative staffers and coaches. Will my child get the excellent experience that these schools are known for? Or if I value my kids education, do I just need to write off AISD completely and stay in the burbs?
I don't think the "in class" experience of the average AISD kid is going to change noticeably following the budget cuts. Schools may get consolidated, boundaries shifted, etc., but I don't think test scores will fall for any group of students, and that seems to be the bottom line measuring stick most parents use.
I believe this because I do think that the at-home experience and demographic of the parent body affects the success of a student more than the physical school environment. Also, the social fabric of the student body and the level of aspiration exhibited amongst student's peers, i.e. - is being "smart" and having good grades a shared value amongst the majority kids themselves. There was a sad story in the statesman about Del Valle HS a couple of years ago that illustrates the realities of how this impacts students. Most of them don't even finish high school, much less aspire to college.
On the Eanes vs. Private, I chose for both my kids private school through 8th grade, then Eanes/Westlake High. I think that combination provides for a more rounded kid than private K-12. If I had it to do over, I might even had gone Eanes K-12.
Our oldest is about to graduate WHS and, though she's not a "top 10%" kid (one needs a weighted GPA of 104 to achieve that at WHS and she's "only" 97.5), it's clearly apparent based on the scholarship offers from the likes of Baylor, Trinity, TCU that the colleges know what to expect from a college preparedness standpoint of the kids coming out of WHS and, thus, she's in high demand even as an "average+" (top 1/3) WHS student.
I would have spent at least $60K-$80K in tuition over the past 4 years continuing in private high school, not counting expected donations to various fundraising and annual fund. x2 for the younger kid. Frankly, I wasn't sold on the value of that investment, and I did study it hard. Private schools are very hit or miss, even from year to year, because the small sample size of students and teacher is subject to even one bad teacher or student affecting the overall experience.
The friends of mine who keep their kids in the various private Austin high schools do so, IMJ, because of unfounded fears about the social environment of public schools. They think, foremost, they are "protecting" their kids from bad public high school influences. This is hogwash, IMO. If my kids are to travel down the dark road of drugs, drinking and other behaviors, I'd just as soon they get on with it in high school when and where I can have more influence than I can once they are off to college and largely beyond my daily interaction.
thank you austin-steve and centralaustinite for your responses. I will continue to follow the AISD money fight, and perhaps we should wait a year or two before we actually purchase a home to see where this all shakes out. I would be perfectly happy with my child going to any of the elementary schools in the neighborhoods we are considering in the area. She is only starting K next year, so I'm not overly concerned about the upper level schools as of right now.
I tend to have the same feelings about the high school experience for kids and parents as steve. I grew up in a house where academics were first and there would be consequences for my actions if I got involved in drugs or anything of that nature. I knew there WERE drugs in my HS (I went to a Catholic HS that was rather large, and AP classes in the mid-20s or more were not unheard of) but because I was brought up as I was and focused on the academic side of life, there wasn't even a temptation. I was a goody-two-shoes daughter of an assistant principal, and I expect my child to live up to the same expectations my parents had of me.
Austin-steve - I agree with you on the private vs. public thing in general. Most of the people I know who send their kids to private schools when the public schools in their area are very good, do so to "protect" them in some way from the "bad things" that happen in public schools. I don't believe that actually happens because these generally well-to-do kids have access to all the bad things public school kids do.
If my public school was known to be unsafe, I would probably consider a private alternative.
I don't think the "in class" experience of the average AISD kid is going to change noticeably following the budget cuts. Schools may get consolidated, boundaries shifted, etc., but I don't think test scores will fall for any group of students, and that seems to be the bottom line measuring stick most parents use.
I believe this because I do think that the at-home experience and demographic of the parent body affects the success of a student more than the physical school environment. Also, the social fabric of the student body and the level of aspiration exhibited amongst student's peers, i.e. - is being "smart" and having good grades a shared value amongst the majority kids themselves. There was a sad story in the statesman about Del Valle HS a couple of years ago that illustrates the realities of how this impacts students. Most of them don't even finish high school, much less aspire to college.
On the Eanes vs. Private, I chose for both my kids private school through 8th grade, then Eanes/Westlake High. I think that combination provides for a more rounded kid than private K-12. If I had it to do over, I might even had gone Eanes K-12.
Our oldest is about to graduate WHS and, though she's not a "top 10%" kid (one needs a weighted GPA of 104 to achieve that at WHS and she's "only" 97.5), it's clearly apparent based on the scholarship offers from the likes of Baylor, Trinity, TCU that the colleges know what to expect from a college preparedness standpoint of the kids coming out of WHS and, thus, she's in high demand even as an "average+" (top 1/3) WHS student.
I would have spent at least $60K-$80K in tuition over the past 4 years continuing in private high school, not counting expected donations to various fundraising and annual fund. x2 for the younger kid. Frankly, I wasn't sold on the value of that investment, and I did study it hard. Private schools are very hit or miss, even from year to year, because the small sample size of students and teacher is subject to even one bad teacher or student affecting the overall experience.
The friends of mine who keep their kids in the various private Austin high schools do so, IMJ, because of unfounded fears about the social environment of public schools. They think, foremost, they are "protecting" their kids from bad public high school influences. This is hogwash, IMO. If my kids are to travel down the dark road of drugs, drinking and other behaviors, I'd just as soon they get on with it in high school when and where I can have more influence than I can once they are off to college and largely beyond my daily interaction.
Steve
Private schools and lake travis,cedar park,eanes and most private schools are 100x better than most schools in large cities. Hell eanes is in another class of education compared to crappy aisd.
Regan
Lainer
Akins
Travis
Eastside memorial
Crocket
Lbj
is this a joke?
I went to austin high. A huge % of my freinds in the 03 went to private schools since tarryotwn/clarksville area is austin high school area. Ahs was fun but the education was a joke I had maybe 3 good teachers throughout hs. I was rarely challenged and you follow into the grove of it being a joke and everyone partying. Cheating, on tests and planning for toga or hoe down or spring break parties was a larger focus. Smoking before school or leaving campus was a larger focus.
Know ahs has ags I hear. Some program for a small % of students who want all excellerated classes. This is good and all but if you notice any school that starts to suck they always give it.a magnet or excellerated program so the school dosent keep failing taks or requirements. Akins did it with akins new tecnh and lbj did it.
Bowie
Ahs
Macculum
Anderson are the best ahs schools
But bowie stands as the best. Ahs is no longer a school filled with lots of t town kids. Half the school is bused with people from all over, a lot of my freinds parents walked or had there parental discussions and a lot decided to to send there kids to st andrews or st stephens or regents. I only stood at ahs cause I convienced my pareents
nd I lived right next to the school basically
Can't compare eanes, as I had freinds in westlake and there regular classes were like equal to or harder than ohr joke of a pre ap class. They were more focused and messing around was not a priority
I liked hs. But for a education standpoint and who your kids might hang out with avoid basically any public school in austin as they all suck
Bowie and austin are the best. A lot of the kids are really good but the education sucks at ahs and I graduated a few years ago. How much could it change?
With 100k teachers across texas being fired and 100 million less on our budget and class sizzes to increase to 37! For every 1 teacher! And fine arts and athletics are to take a cut, there firing art teachers and lots of others
Don't expect it to get better
If you can elementary schools aren't to bad but than you might want to try other schools after 5th grade
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