Public questions AISD overcrowding plan

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Austin Superintendent Meria Carstarphen, an administrator, and two school board members showed up to listen Monday night as parents, teachers and students shared thoughts on several recommendations the school board will be voting on in two weeks.

The controversial proposal for an in-district charter school took center stage.

"When we have students coming into ninth grade at third grade reading levels something has to be done to help these students," said Johnston High School alum Larry Amaro. "I think the in-district charter school from the IDEA school systems down in South Texas that some of us went to go see is a perfect match for East Austin."

An Austin ISD graduate who used to teach at an IDEA charter school in Brownsville gave testimony about a ninth-grade dropout who worked for the drug cartel.

"We brought him in at IDEA. This was the lowest of the low. He read on a third grade reading level when he entered as a 10th-grader and 18 years old," said Alejandro Delgado. "We worked with him. We had strong disciplinary structures. We had a culture of high expectation.

"On Day One he knew when he was going to graduate from high school and college and now he is a freshman at UT Brownsville. He is an example of what IDEA does works."

There was also a large showing for those against a plan to solve overcrowding in North Central Austin that would turn Webb Middle School into a pre-kindergarten through eighth campus.

"I feel that pre-k students on that campus will add a number of stresses onto our teachers, onto our administrators, and onto the community," said Patrick Kennedy, a former teacher at Webb Middle School.

The final comment of the night directed criticism toward Austin school board members not in attendance.

"Where is the school board?" asked Charlie Jackson. "You would think policy makers would be here."

Trustee Cheryl Bradley and Robert Schneider were the only board members at the meeting. Before ending the meeting, Carstarphen told the crowd all trustees will receive a DVD copy of the meeting and the public comments will be summarized for board members before the final vote Dec. 12.