By Raven L. Hill
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, January 20, 2006
The Austin school district used enrollment data, population trends and transportation logistics in formulating a plan to reformat several schools. Now, it will have to use its political savvy.
In targeting Becker Elementary, the district is going up against a neighborhood that is accustomed to using political pressure to get what it wants. And it often does.
Many residents in the Bouldin Creek neighborhood, where the 70-year-old school is located, reacted angrily to the district's plans during a public hearing Thursday evening at the school.
District staff and a community task force propose to reassign 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 specialized academies.
Officials say the changes are a fiscally prudent way of managing and enhancing the district's resources. Students would be reassigned to other campuses that are less than two miles away, and Becker's administrative staff would be transferred to a new elementary school in a growing area of Southeast Austin opening this fall.
Becker, the first school to be reformatted under the proposal, is nestled in the Bouldin Creek neighborhood, home to an economically and socially diverse mix of empty nesters, singles and young married couples.
Residents are gearing up for a fight. In their struggle to keep the residential feel of their neighborhood, they successfully got the city to shut down an illegal deck outside the South Congress Cafe. They are optimistic that they can enjoy similar success in the effort to keep Becker open
"Efficiency is important, but it has its limits," said Kevin Lewis, who spoke at Thursday night's forum. "We're not going to ignore what's going on here."
Some neighborhood residents blame the district's open enrollment policies and transfer procedures for the school's small size. Questions about the conflict between city and school district goals have been raised as well.
The City of Austin has embraced the idea of "smart growth," which encourages more residential development in existing central neighborhoods to deter sprawl.
But district officials say the numbers speak for themselves.
In 1995, Becker enrolled more than 400 students. Currently, enrollment is less than half its capacity of 550. Approximately 265 students are expected in the fall — a 15-student increase over last school year. The school's enrollment has dropped from 51 percent to 41 percent since the 2000-01 academic year. Only one Austin campus is more underenrolled.
Small size notwithstanding, residents say the school is worth keeping as it is and that their voices deserve to be heard. Leaders of the school's parent-teacher association and campus advisory council expressed their displeasure Thursday night. Many people in the packed gymnasium, including parents, teachers and former students, said they thought the timeline for implementation was too short.
Audience members touched on a range of topics when addressing Superintendent Pat Forgione: busing 3- and 4-year-old children, the value of being able to walk or ride one's bike to school, the potential hardship on families who do not own vehicles, the sense that a Central Austin school was being sacrificed for suburban growth and frustration over a lack of community input.
Several parents cited the school's close-knit family feel, its diversity, its rich history, its innovative programs, its academic success and its place as the community hub. One parent said she would prefer to take her daughter out of the Austin public school system rather than send her to another campus.
rhill@statesman.com; 445-3620