The board also engaged in a session on proposed relief areas (read: new
schools) in the southern portion of the school district. Of the 11 schools that
are slated to be built with bond funds, five (two middle schools, three
elementaries) will be erected somewhere south of Town Lake. In response to
board members’ requests last month, AISD staff furnished maps outlining where
the Edwards Aquifer contributing and recharge zones lie in these proposed
relief areas. While generally agreeing that relief is needed, especially for
Bailey, Bedichek, and Covington Middle Schools, trustees’ points of view on
where possible sites for these “relief” schools can — or should — be located
are as diverse as, well, AISD itself. A majority of board members say they’d
“rather not” put a secondary school on the aquifer, but emphasize they’ll
adhere to water quality regulations if that scenario somehow comes to pass.
Only trustee Knippa, whose district lies in Southwest Austin, is willing to
unequivocally state that a new Southwest middle school is necessary. The facts,
Knippa argues, don’t support the charge that another new school in that sector
will somehow attract new families; schools there are already bursting at the
seams from live, existing human beings, she said.
But Rips believes that all of south Austin is ripe for relief; in any
case, no secondary school should be built on the aquifer. Hartman mostly agrees
with him, stating that the board should broaden its outlook, in terms of which
areas should be relieved. There was also some discussion of whether AISD should
already be announcing that it is seeking possible school sites in south Austin
(such an ad appeared in last week’s Chronicle, in fact); but Hartman
reminded the trustees that they had previously given AISD staff permission to
do that. At Monday night’s meeting, Rips was the only board member to vote
against the relief areas.
If you’re thinking that these three major issues for AISD — all involving
either technology, the environment, and/or future growth for Austin — are
coming in too-rapid succession, then you’re in agreement with several members
of the board of trustees. Some of them are beginning to suspect that it’s
Superintendent Fox’s intention to splinter their attention, and steer them
toward the decisions he already has in mind. That’s why the board’s upcoming
executive session with him this week — in which they’ll evaluate
board/superintendent relations — is critical at this juncture. Most members
say they’ll be looking to improve communications with Fox; quite simply, they
feel he needs stop insulating himself from them, and to talk to them a lot more
often, even if it’s just informally. Sure, they have board/superintendent
retreats, but those are too agenda- driven and stodgy. One trustee had this
solution: “We ought to do more things together as people, something to foster a
personal relationship.” That comes from the most anti-touchy-feely board member
of all: Tom Agnor. Believe it or not.
This article appears in March 28 • 1997 and March 28 • 1997 (Cover).