The End of Becker asNeighborhood Elementary School?
The End of Becker asEditor's note: The feature below, exerpted from the Austin American Statesman, points out that while City of Austin planning, developer pressures and the allure of near-in urban living have increased Bouldin's population of young affluent professional families, ongoing patterns of public school "white flight" and AISD's policy of directing its resources to fast-growing outlying neighborhoods have led to the proposed re-use of Becker from neighborhood elementary school to pre-school learning center. Residents ask, "Is this an intermediate step before an eventual AISD closure and sale of Becker's valuable land parcel?"
By Raven L. Hill
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Shrinking enrollment in Central Austin schools, coupled with growth in outlying areas, is forcing the school district to be creative with campus and faculty resources.
Superintendent Pat Forgione will detail a proposal on Tuesday that would send students at three schools with low enrollment — Becker and Oak Springs elementary schools and Porter Middle School — to nearby campuses and turn those three schools into pre-kindergarten centers and two specialized academies.
Forgione said the changes will be a cost-efficient way to beef up programs.
The proposal would balance the district's limited resources between two disparate, but equally imperative, interests.
State requirements demand that children learn to read by third grade, a goal that many low-income children fail to reach because they often start school unprepared. The Austin school district is also under pressure to provide academically vigorous offerings to stem the tide of families who leave for suburban districts and private schools.
Under the plan, the district would open new pre-kindergarten centers at Becker and Oak Springs as their students are transferred. In August, Becker students would attend Dawson or Travis Heights elementary schools. Oak Springs students would be reassigned to Blackshear, Campbell or Govalle elementary schools in the fall of 2007.
That fall, Porter students would be reassigned to Covington or Bedichek middle schools. O. Henry Middle School might receive some of those students as well. Porter would then house two "concept schools" — the Young Women's Leadership Academy for girls in sixth through 12th grades and the High School for Global Studies, emphasizing coursework in international affairs.
The administrative staffs at Porter, Oak Springs and Becker would be assigned to the new elementary and middle schools approved by voters in 2004, one of which will open next fall. Faculty members will have the option of following their students or going with their principals to the new schools. Transportation will be provided to students who live in public housing near Becker and Oak Springs.
Becker and Oak Springs are among the top five most underused Austin campuses. Becker's enrollment has fallen 40 percent in the past decade, according to the Texas Education Agency, putting the school well below its capacity of 550.
Forgione said the district does not have the money to keep opening new schools in fast-growing areas while continuing to operate inner-city schools with dwindling enrollment.
The explanation did little to keep some parents and teachers at Becker from feeling slighted. Some questioned the role attendance boundaries and the district's open enrollment and transfer policies played in sealing Becker's fate.
"We already have more families moving into the inner city, and here they take away a neighborhood school," said Bouldin resident Bob Sessa, whose two sons attend Becker.
Dora Lopez is a first-grade teacher who has worked at Becker for 22 years. "I am realistic. The funding is not there, and the school is underutilized," Lopez said. "But on the other hand, I'm torn, because they are ripping apart my community."
Establishing pilot early childhood learning centers is a priority in the district's strategic plan, however. Low literacy and school readiness rates spurred Forgione to open them sooner. Research indicates that students, particularly those who come from low-income families and have limited English proficiency, can thrive in such settings, Forgione said.
Becker will also be the site of a pilot program that will allow pre-kindergarten special education students to be included in regular classrooms.
Becker Principal David Kauffman said he was optimistic that teachers and students would be well-served and that the community would have input in the final decision.
"It's a sad day any time you raise a proposal to change a school from what people are familiar with," Kauffman said. "This school has a rich history of serving the community for 70 years. I have trust in the superintendent's vision this is a move that will serve all of our kids, including our Becker kids, well in the long-term."
The Young Women's Leadership Academy planned for Porter is based on models in Dallas, Chicago and New York, where several boutique schools were created to entice middle-class parents to keep their children in public schools. The 500-student academy would open with sixth, seventh and ninth grades and would be up to 12th grade by 2010. The school would make use of the most effective math and science teaching strategies while developing the students' leadership skills.
Transferring the administrative staffs and faculty at Porter, Oak Springs and Becker will allow the new schools to open with experienced leaders, Forgione said.
The district has been criticized for not putting its most qualified and veteran teachers in schools with the highest needs, especially those east of Interstate 35.
Forgione said he will ask the school board for a recommendation on the plan by the end of February. A community forum will be Thursday at Becker.
rhill@statesman.com; 445-3620.