Public meeting held on AISD boys school

The Austin Independent School District held a meeting with parents on Saturday morning to discuss the possibility of creating a district-wide school specifically for boys.

Single-sex campuses have been a hot topic in district for months. While poor academic scores are behind the push for the all-boys and all-girls conversion of two East Austin middle schools – Pearce and Garcia – a third, less-mentioned single-sex campus is also in the works.

The Moody Foundation has awarded the district a $4.6 million to launch a school for young men. AISD’s School for Young Men would be a college and career preparatory academy that develops a community of leadership- and character-centered young men, according to a new the district’s new facilities recommendation report.

Parents were able to see potential plans and ask questions about the school.

“They’re not mandating that you participate, but hopefully they’re creating an environment that will draw people to that environment,” said Steve Wright, an AISD parent. “Its a choice if you want to be part of it.”

If approved, enrollment would begin with school year 2013-14, projected at 230 students in sixth and seventh grades. Enrollment would increase by 115 students each year through 2017-18.

Three scenarios exist for the school’s future:

  • Place the new school within an existing middle school with enough room for up to three years. At that time, the student body of the existing middle school would be reassigned to nearby middle schools, through a boundary process. The School for Young Men would then have exclusive use of that facility.

  • Place the new school within an existing middle school with enough room for up to three years. At that time, the School for Young Men would move to another existing, renovated AISD facility like the Alternative Learning Center.

  • Place the new school within an existing middle school with enough room for up to three years. At that time, it would relocate to a new facility designed and built for its use.

AISD administrators are hoping the success of the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders –which started in 2007 — will be duplicated in the School for Young Men. The Ann Richards School will graduate its first class of seniors this spring.

The School for Young Men is identified as a project with high potential for moving forward in the next school year. However, the school board has yet to give final approval, which might not come until December.