 "Photo: Devin Kani")
The Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees approved by a unanimous vote Monday a repurposing proposal for Johnston High School.
The school district was notified June 5 that Johnston would be closed after receiving an "academically unacceptable" rating for the fourth consecutive year. The Texas Education Agency set a deadline for the district to submit its proposal by June 18 if Johnston is to be reopened in the fall, this time with a different name and different academic program.
The plan, which was released Friday, is still in its preliminary development.
The first phase of the plan deals with revamping the staff and academic program. Seventy-five percent of the faculty and staff will be replaced, and faculty and staff from the 2007-2008 school year can reapply for their jobs to make up the other 25 percent. The second phase focuses on opening two new independent high schools on the Johnston campus. The plan includes previously discussed aspects such as re-naming the school, replacing the current principal and reassigning students and staff.
The district has yet to decide on specifics about which models to pursue in creating the two high schools to be opened on the campus - options include a dual-credit institute and a tech school.
"We will work to try and put additional meat on the bones," said AISD Board trustee Vincent Torres.
Under phase one, the center of the new instructional program is the "Small Learning Community," which will allow teachers in core subjects to collaborate in planning, and incorporates a Personal Education Plan, which will help students list goals for high school and after. The district will also expand programs that target incoming ninth graders to determine which students need intervention to reach grade-level proficiency in reading and math.
Several members of the public voiced criticisms of Texas education policy and the law that led to Johnston's closure. The 2006 accountability law put in place a mandate that the Texas education commissioner implement alternative management or close a school after a certain number of years of academically unacceptable ratings. Louis Malfaro, vice president of the American Federation of Teachers, said Texas accountability laws ignore improvement and growth and deal only in absolutes.
"The result of a bad law is that one of our schools is getting closed down," he said. "This is a bad law and it's bad public policy."
But members of the community were unanimous in their desire to move forward on the proposal.
"Please, take action tonight, so we can move forward as soon as possible," said Johnston PTSA President Geneva Oliva.
Johnston faculty member Kirsten Cole cautioned those at the meeting that a difficult transition lies ahead and said the district should not prematurely give up on solutions.
"We need to put time into a model, we need to give time to work it out," she said.
