Earlier this week, the Austin ISD School Board directed district personnel to test the waters of the red-hot local real estate market to determine whether they could maximize revenue through lease or sale. This builds upon their decision in late February 2016, where the board approved a $1 million contract with a facility master planning firm. These encouraging steps make it more likely that the board will be able to adopt a Facility Master Plan in early 2017. See KXAN’s coverage here.

The AISD Board adopted a policy on April 1, 2013 -- prior to their last bond election -- that they would complete a Facility Master Plan by May 2014 which would substantially reduce the number of under- and over-enrolled campuses. While they adopted a framework for facilities decisions to be considered at a future date, the Board has not fulfilled their commitment to adopt a plan with clear milestones.

Heavy lifting is still ahead, but under Board Chair Kendall Pace and a strong set of trustees, we applaud AISD for taking purposeful steps.