AISD Public Hearing on Bond Money
During the Austin ISD’s school board meeting tonight there will be a public hearing on how to spend the 2008 Bond Program's contingency funds. The 2008 bond initiative gave the district $343 million to spend on projects to meet new health requirements and to upgrade technology.
Contingency funds are dollars left over from completed bond projects. There’s approximately $19 million that can now be spent on other projects. AISD’s considering spending most of the funds on urgent maintenance projects and facilities improvements that have been recommended for next school year.
It’s possible the board will vote on spending the funds at tonight’s hearing, scheduled for 6:20 p.m. at the school district’s office on 1111 W. Sixth.
Standardized Test Hearing at Capitol
Texas lawmakers will meet today to discuss implementation of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test for public school students.
The STAAR test replaces the TAKS test, starting this school year. The Public Education Committee will hear testimony from school officials and teachers about the impact of the new test on students, teachers, and graduation and promotion rates.
STAAR, according to the Austin American-Statesman, also serves as an end-of-the-semester assessment for high schools students and reflects 15 percent of the students' grade in that subject.
The meeting is at 1 p.m. at the Texas Capitol.
Mac Brown talks about Joe Paterno
The death of longtime Penn State football coach Joe Paterno is reverberating throughout all of college football.
UT head football coach Mack Brown says Paterno was “one of the greatest coaches our game, and all sports, will ever have.” Brown says, “college football will be left with a major void.”
Paterno was fired in November from Penn State because of a child sex-abuse scandal in his organization. Brown made no reference to the issue in his statement.
Paterno died Sunday of lung cancer. He was 85.