New HS in South Austin (Bowie, Shady Hollow: gated, deal, area)

[sojourner77]

Originally Posted by AMJ27

I'm a SW Austin resident and a new high school has nothing to do with property value to me. It has to do with not having a gigantic, overcrowded public high school that is falling apart.

How will a new HS keep Bowie from "falling apart"?. How will it relieve overcrowding in SE Austin, where the majority of growth is to occur over the next 10 years?

[Glenn Ross]

AISD is currently looking at purchasing land in SW Austin and in SE Austin. However, they have a set list of criteria and that is making finding the right property challenging. And vacant tracts are disappearing to development every day. As of a month ago, no more progress had been made according to one of the school board members I heard speak.

[sojourner77]

Originally Posted by Glenn Ross

AISD is currently looking at purchasing land in SW Austin and in SE Austin. However, they have a set list of criteria and that is making finding the right property challenging. And vacant tracts are disappearing to development every day. As of a month ago, no more progress had been made according to one of the school board members I heard speak.

Of course they haven't made progress. It's all been lip service.

"High schools are big: The usual calculation is a base of 30 acres, plus an extra acre for every 100 students. So Bowie High, with capacity for 3,000 students, is a 60-acre campus. Problem is, Austin is running short of plots that large in the right areas that also fit the multiple criteria required for a campus"


AISD: New South High School(s)? AISD mulls over a possible South Austin high school - News - The Austin Chronicle


Searching online, there are no parcels left in AISD south of the river that meet that criteria. The only parcels for sale that large S/SW are across the border in Hays county, and in another ISD.


The largest I could find was 26 acres near William Cannon / I-35 (east side of hwy).

[thomas2029]

anything new on this? did they purchase land? where and what are they building?

[sojourner77]

Originally Posted by thomas2029

anything new on this? did they purchase land? where and what are they building?

3500 homes were just announced for SE Austin within AISD.

Goodnight Development Aims to Transform Southeast Austin - Curbed Austin

A new HS Southeast is looking inevitable. Bowie and Austin High parents will be given the option between rezoning or more portables.

Note: The map for the Goodnight Development shows a large purple area designated as "future school site"

[CT_ATX]

Originally Posted by sojourner77

3500 homes were just announced for SE Austin within AISD.

Goodnight Development Aims to Transform Southeast Austin - Curbed Austin

A new HS Southeast is looking inevitable. Bowie and Austin High parents will be given the option between rezoning or more portables.

Note: The map for the Goodnight Development shows a large purple area designated as "future school site"

Yeah, with Vista Point, Easton Park, Goodnight Ranch and the unnamed project behind Hillcrest Elementary, there are a lot of houses being built in a relatively tight area.

[austin-steve]

Originally Posted by sojourner77

3500 homes were just announced for SE Austin within AISD.

Goodnight Development Aims to Transform Southeast Austin - Curbed Austin

A new HS Southeast is looking inevitable. Bowie and Austin High parents will be given the option between rezoning or more portables.

Note: The map for the Goodnight Development shows a large purple area designated as "future school site"

It would make more sense for that "future school site" to be a middle school, given it's proximity to the existing Blazier Elementary school up the street.

Also, I think high schools require a minimum acreage and road capacity. I can't quote my source but lodged somewhere in my brain is the knowledge that a High School generally requires about 30 acres (10 acres for Elementary, 20 for Middle) supported by much more road infrastructure than this site can provide (due to the number of additional cars caused by high school students who drive). Traffic would be a nightmarish traffic jam if a High School was placed on that plot.

So, my money is on that site being a Middle School and a new "South" high school being elsewhere.

Steve

[Longhorn Al]

Bowie is still not as big as it once was when I went there (c/o 2001), and they have more classrooms and portables now than back then.


Doing away with majority-to-minority transfers will help.


I still think they should create a magnet at Crockett or Travis. That would help alleviate Akins and Bowie. I would then put some money into renovating Bowie. More permanent classrooms like the ones they built in the science wing a few years ago. Also revamp the theatre, band hall, orchestra hall and sports wing/locker rooms. Bowie should not be in the state it's in.


IF a new south HS is needed (I still think that's up in the air with the projected future drop in AISD population), then I think it goes in SE Austin.

[centralaustinite]

Yes, a south magnet program is in the works! Not sure of the location, my money would be on Crockett.

[Trainwreck20]

Just saw this earlier today:

Yasmin Wagner for AISD

I'm excited to finally announce our plans for the South High School land bond. Here is the op-ed which will run in the Statesman by Trustee Paul Saldaña and myself:

In 2008 Austin voters passed a $32 million bond proposition to buy land for a new south Austin high school. Nearly 10 years later, that promise has not been met. In our time working together on the Austin ISD board representing the two corners of South Austin, we have been focused on completing that promise from the 2008 bond proposal for the purchase of South high school land as expediently as possible. We have carefully reviewed the needs of the South Austin communities and weighed all available options.

With all of those considerations in mind, the district is proceeding with the purchase of land parcels in Southeast Austin for a future high school and in Southwest Austin to facilitate the immediate expansion and modernization of the Bowie campus. The bond will be satisfied with the land purchase in the Southeast, and we strongly advocate that the remaining bond funds be used expediently to satisfy the will of the voters and be allocated to transforming Bowie into a campus that meets the needs of its students, now and in the future.

A significant factor in these decisions has been careful examination of our current and projected enrollments. At this time, both Bowie and Akins High Schools are significantly overenrolled. In the Southeast desired development zone, development will continue to be sizable with developments like Goodnight Ranch bringing nearly 3800 housing units to the Akins attendance area. This addition will necessitate the creation of a new high school in the future. It’s important to note that the last AISD investment for a new high school east of IH-35 occurred over 43 years ago with the construction of LBJ high school. Preceded by Reagan High School 52 years ago and Eastside Memorial 57 years ago.

In the Southwest, growth will be far more modest with a few remaining small pockets of possible development scattered amongst large swaths of environmentally sensitive preserved land. Bowie is currently overenrolled beyond its stated capacity by 435 students. It also serves 434 transfer students from other high school attendance areas. Changes to the AISD transfer policy that will take effect in the coming year will dramatically reduce the number of transfers to overenrolled campuses and subsequently will bring down enrollment numbers at Bowie. With better control over transfer numbers and allowances for all possible future growth, Bowie is projected to reach a maximum size of 3145 students, which are 247 students above the current enrollment. Bowie’s capacity is calculated not by usable classroom space, but by its common areas like the cafeteria. The campus has adequate classroom space for its current enrollment with class sizes that average in the mid-twenties. Many Bowie students leave campus at lunch or choose to eat in other areas of the school so using cafeteria size, as a guide doesn’t accurately account for how the campus is being utilized.

When we speak to parents who have students currently enrolled in or recently graduated from Bowie, their concerns are not always about overcrowding. Many times we hear about the state of the facilities and the limitations in being able to provide a modern, appropriate learning environment for our students. It’s also clear that the Bowie community loves the benefits that a large school offers – robust academic offerings, powerhouse athletics, tremendous fine arts programming and a wide range of extracurricular opportunities.

The anticipated expansion and modernization of the Bowie campus will preserve the great benefits of being a large school that the community embraces. It will also ensure that Bowie has the additional space, capacity, facilities and full modernization that our students deserve. This strategic approach aims to allow for an immediate investment at Bowie, precluding the need for a future bond election for design and construction dollars. It demonstrates a commitment to fiscal responsibility as well as good stewardship of the land and the upholding our local community values of environmental protection and responsible growth.

Our collective vision for South Austin includes investing in high school campuses as quickly as needed that will inspire our students and provide 21st century learning and technology opportunities. This plan, if accepted by the rest of the Board of Trustees, is not an alternative to buying land for a new southwest high school. This plan is better for current students because they will receive relief sooner. This plan is better for future students because it ensures continued great programming. This plan is better for the environment and better financially because it eliminates the need for an additional high school over the sensitive areas and the additional costs for construction and staffing.

We have more details to discuss in a public meeting, and many conversations with stakeholders and families throughout South Austin, but we are excited to bring this solution to the Board and to finally fulfill the promise of the 2008 bond.