The State of Our District: Strengthened by Community Support

The Power of Us: Thousands of students, team members, parents, and friends closed the show with a Thriller flash mob!

Austin is a world-class city that deserves a world-class district. Last night, AISD highlighted the district's achievements and goals as we brought our communities together to strengthen support for all of our students, staff members and schools at AISD's fourth annual State of the District address and student showcase.

If you were anywhere near Toney Burger stadium, you may heard the drum beats, seen the shining lights, and even felt the ground shake at times! It's hard to describe the excitement and enthusiasm of last night's event. When some 4,300 students showcase their talents and perform for about 5,000 AISD families, community members, and team members to celebrate AISD, we can really rock a stadium!

To all of those beautiful, hard working elementary, middle and high school students who shared their talents with our community at the State of the District address and student showcase, Thank You!

While the evening was an opportunity for the community to see and experience the excellent work and amazing talent of the AISD family, it was also a time to reflect on where the district has been, and to look forward to where we are going.

Each year, we measure our progress on goals that we as a community set for ourselves in the five-year Strategic Plan. As part of our annual report to the community during the State of the District address, I outlined our progress and the ways in which we can meet our future goals for improvement—together as a community.

Increasing Attendance: During the past two years, thanks to our Every Day Counts campaign, student attendance has reached 95 percent, generating approximately $4.6 million in revenue for schools and increasing student achievement.
Preparing for College: Graduation rates continue to go up, and the percentage of college-ready students is at an all-time high. And, more AISD graduates are going to college or enrolling in other post-secondary educational institutions. Last year, the number of students who pursued higher education went up a whopping five percentage points.
Addressing the Achievement Gap: Despite our progress and achievements, our scorecard shows the district still has improvements to make in eliminating the achievement gap and meeting accountability expectations for our most vulnerable student groups.
Funding the Future: As standards are increasing, resources are decreasing. AISD's teachers and staff members are doing more with less. They have heavier workloads, larger classes, increased health care costs and less leave time.

Legislative Cuts—After the past legislative session, AISD's budget was reduced by more than $60 million. With another legislative session around the corner, AISD will work to ensure our district's good work is known throughout the community. Next session, if the laws aren't changed, there could be up to $100 million more in ongoing cuts for AISD.
Potential Bond Program—The district must rely on bond programs to address serious facility needs in our district. A potential bond program could address overcrowding by building new schools and additions, keeping up with technology needs, expanding academic and fine arts programs and improving athletic programs and facilities. The cost estimates for these much-needed improvements could exceed $850 million.
Potential Tax Ratification Election—The district does not have enough revenue to meet its current expenditures. In addition to attendance funding, a tax ratification could provide the necessary revenue to meet our district's needs, including attracting and retaining the best staff by offering competitive salaries.

The 2012 State of the District address and student showcase was the first time in our district’s history that all of our school dance teams, bands, color guards, and cheerleaders have performed together as one.

The student performances and demonstrations are proof that AISD has passionate students who are capable of extraordinary things; and, in my State of the District address, I strived to prove my committment to ensuring our district can provide students with opportunities to achieve their potential.

Our AISD team members proved that they really know their business. The public relations office, headed by Alex Sanchez and led in this effort by Pat Dabbert, the fine arts department, led by Fine Arts Director Greg Goodman, and the staff members of the Toney Burger Center worked hard to make sure every detail was covered.

Hundreds of AISD bus drivers and police officers did a truly impressive job of making sure that everyone arrived to their home campus safely. The logistics were challenging, but under AISD Director of Transportation Kris Hafesisadeh and Chief of Police Eric Mendez, our committed AISD bus drivers and police officers pulled it off. You are truly amazing!

Coordinators
Gary Faust, Akins, High School Bands Conductor
Mark Gurgel, Kealing, Middle School Bands Conductor
Brian Frock, Austin High, High School Band Director
Erin Campbell, Anderson, Dance Teams Coordinator
Ron Oliverio, Akins, ROTC Coordinator
Stephen Howard, Bowie, Color Guards Coordinator
Mirtha Tabasco, Lanier, Cheerleader Coordinator
David Beussman, All City Choir Coordinator
Tyler Dempsey, Percussion Group Coordinator
Barton Hills Principal Kati Achtermann
Barton Hills Physical Education Teacher Courtney Perry

Exhibitors
Juan Gonzalez, Akins Robotics
John Sayce, Akins Rocketry Program
Sebastian Espinoza, Akins Engineering
Kena Pierce, Akins Civil Engineering and Architecture
Bailey Williams, Akins Biomedical Engineering
Edward Buono, Jerry Moldenhauer, Eastside Robotics
Jason Flowers, LASA Quiz Bowl
Tony Bertucci, LASA Robotics
Keith Carey, Reagan High School Athletics
Ryan Cengal, Shelley Boucher, Cheryl Curran, Lanier Health Careers
Paul Love-Kretchmer, Carlos de la Garza, Karen Hansen, Deborah Dono, Fine Arts

Sponsors
The State of the District address and showcase was made possible by the generous contributions of 20 sponsors, who ensured no tax dollars were harmed in the making of this presentation.

Target
Austin Public Education Foundation
IBM
Wells Fargo
A+ Federal Credit Union
Applied Materials
Brath, Inc.
CiCi's Pizza
HEB
The Links Incorporated, Town Lake Chapter
Pfluger Architects
Blazier Christensen Bigelow & Virr, PC
Horace Mann
Gamma Gamma Boule
The Mueller Foundation
Music and Arts
O’Connell Robertson
Strait Music
Teacher Heaven
Water Monster

To everyone who participated, attended, or in any way supported this dazzling event--Gracias, Thank you, Merci, and so much more!

Teamwork makes the dream work!