Discussion of Charge and Composition of District Boundary Advisory Committee

AUSTIN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES WORK SESSION SEPTEMBER 12, 2011

Existing: Facility Use and Boundary Task Force

District policy, FC (LOCAL), states that individual

school attendance areas shall be defined by the board upon recommendation of the Superintendent The Facility Use and Boundary Task Force (FUBTF) was created on June 20, 2005 The charge of the FUBTF is:

Use a collaborative process to develop new school boundaries Provide recommendations for boundary changes for existing schools, and Developed assignment plans for accountability-related contingency plans

Existing: FUBTF Membership

Core members:
Represent

AISD community and appointed by the Board and Superintendent for an extended period of time and with deep knowledge of the process

Serve

Geographic representatives:
Appointed

by the CAC of each affected school Serve for the duration of the boundary process
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Issues
A high degree of contention during the boundary

process for the District's two newest schools led to an effort to improve the boundary decision-making process. Geographic members may:

have parochial interests that are in conflict with the best interests of all students be overwhelmed by the amount of information that must be analyzed not be accustomed to the public scrutiny that is inherent in any boundary process
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Proposed: District Boundary Advisory Committee

On May 9, 2011, the Board of Trustees directed staff to

research best practices for determining and recommending boundary changes. On August 15, 2011, staff provided the Board the proposed Boundary Advisory Committee bylaws for comment. The Boundary Advisory Committee (BAC) will:

develop boundary recommendations from a district-wide perspective, provide a focus on the interests of the entire district, and advise the Superintendent in the development of boundary recommendations to the Board of Trustees.
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Proposed: BAC Membership

BAC membership will: Be appointed by the administration to represent the District as a whole, Reflect the District's racial and geographic diversity, Understand Austins unique history, and Have sufficient subject matter expertise

Proposed: BAC Process

Establish a standard set of criteria Gather public input from affected school

communities to prioritize criteria and evaluate proposed boundary changes Incorporate public input and present recommendations to the Superintendent

Conclusion
After tonights discussion:
Incorporate

the Boards comments into proposed

bylaws Present final process and bylaws for approval at the Boards September 26, 2011, meeting, to allow for the establishment of a district BAC.