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Member of AJC, former AISD employee,

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Running to create more opportunities in southeast Austin and addressing systemic racism.

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AISD parent, advocate as a parent and as a person

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Served the district in various capacities, serving at Barbara Jordan, running for District 8 at-large

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interested in collective wisdom; how does integration impact fund

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Pooja, Austin City COuncil Candidate, District 10

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Pooja, Austin City COuncil Candidate, District 10

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Done advocacy in translation services in the city and school district. After 2016 she received a call from a person in the South Asian community with a racist comment in schools, interested in what she can do to support

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been doing social justice work for 30 years, feels like she got cheated out of an education due to her special needs; with her son has felt things have been a constant fight; 3 generations of systemic racism. It's time to look at a holistic approach to teaching, including mental health

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Interested in listening, the conversation, how we can serve all kids and fulfill

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Teaches in the preservice liberal arts program; in EIS; here to take notes

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Arati Singh: How are things going for you right now while teaching in this pandemic? What can we do for you as a teacher?  (especially for our special needs students and the ones who struggle to navigate online school.)

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Arati Singh: How are things going for you right now while teaching in this pandemic? What can we do for you as a teacher?  (especially for our special needs students and the ones who struggle to navigate online school.)

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Teachers in AISD have been thankful for the extra time to prepare, especially compared to other districts. Our school was commended for increasing registration numbers, but we needed more help because it takes a lot of hands on work. We knew we would, in theory, but from the teachers' perspective, they are surprised by how much community has been built from troubleshooting all the little things that build into bigger things. For example, figuring out one feature of the chrombooks together. Those little things can really shake teachers up, but helping each other out helps.

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Follow up Question from Singh-- How involved are the parents? How are language barriers addressed?

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Follow up Question from Singh-- How involved are the parents? How are language barriers addressed?

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Parents have been involved; majority of staff is bilingual so that's helpful. What is difficult is that bilingual curriculum and ESL are not aligned. Parents have been able to step up and be partners. Moving forward, hopefully that partnership is recognized.

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student teacher perspective: virtual teaching has been difficult; some parents are saying it's tough and they need their kids to go back to campus, but still concerned about the safety aspect; Some special ed students in the classroom, but the teacher has not shared the information with support staff and student teachers; students at different campuses do need help; through technology there has been 100% attendance, although some students are still learning how to use the tools (don't know how to use the mute button) ;

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parent perspective-- it's almost impossible to manage three kids; it's a lot; we'll all get used to it; shout out to all the teachers who are doing amazing; especially martin MS and Eastside Memorial-- doing great with communication and reaching out, etc.

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parent/city council perspective- to candidates for trustees and teachers-- shout out and appreciation; son had a hard time sitting for a long time; had to pull son and put him in private school, his teacher was good about building up to a full day of instruction; just got a postcard from the teacher praising him.

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Fidgeting is something teachers point out or penalize in the classroom, but in this environment we're seeing the more important things in the big picture, so old norms will change; we're focusing on their comfort, are their needs being met-- fed, clothed, comfortable?

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Bright side-- parent was able to see how their son learns on a one on one session; were able to get him fidget toy and ball to sit on, for example; there are some positives

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What do you all see as the biggest issue regarding segregation and integration in Austin schools? 

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What do you all see as the biggest issue regarding segregation and integration in Austin schools? 

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As someone who deeply believes in Public Education, grew up on El Paso, it puts me on edge when I hear about integration because it's mostly been supportive of white parents. When I think about integration, I would want to ask if it's something white parents want, and if so, why? Are families of color asking for the same opportunities that white families are asking for?

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trustee perspective: If the board wants something to happen, it can happen; if it comes down to value of the district then it can happen. if not, it's because it's not a priority.

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At the end of the day, what do families want? 

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At the end of the day, what do families want? 

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I'll never forget that in my classrooms at Keeling it was mostly white and latino kids w/ a few Black kids, at least in the magnet program;  these initiatives can mask the problems; the only time all the kids interacted was a lunch or PE; but in academics it wasn't that way unless you were proactive about interacting with the other kids; White or Latino kids didn't interact with Black kids unless they made an effort; It's about equity in programming, not geography and integration; As a City Council issue-- it's not just on the shoulders of teh schools and districts to address this; it's about affordable housing, pubic transportation, libraries, rec centers, etc. ;

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The segregation within the magnet schools reflects what's going on on the outside, students bring the challenges in; There are things going on outside that kids are bringing in; city can address this through programs; (example- Prime Time after school program at Akins, where high schoolers could socialize); need to provide opportunities for students to have fun and interact with each other;

Within the campuses, our students are perceived in (negative ways); staff assumes they will cause trouble, fight, etc.

The pandemic has opened the door to all the injustices that have been happening; now people are talking about it; as trustees and city councilors, we have the power to make changes and address the issues; we have teh opportunity to make changes to the systemic problems

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I went to magnet programs in public schools too growing up (in Louisiana) - very “curated/quota” diversity; which led to a lot of tension (between adults)

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There is a majority black schools in east Austin, and you feel the culture. In north Austin there is predominantly a Hispanic culture. I would want us to be cautious about integration - we would need to ensure staff is trained and trained well. I think it is possible.

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I have even heard people wanting historically
The thought of Mueller MS is "Oh my. What do I do? Lamar is too far away to transfer to." Webb is an excellent school.
The person staffing the Webb table when my student went to a student fair, and she said it was too bad that the Mueller school hadn't started yet. She assumed that since we were white they would agree with us. We have to ensure that the teachers are prepared an culturally aware for this. Asha mentioned interest conversation. We have only thought on this when it is convenient.

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I hear a lot from those that are proponents of integrated schools. The dialogue around preparing teachers is important. The school board has a lot of influence in this decision-making

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You need additional staffing just to support the high needs/paperwork/etc. of our students

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Ideas about providing free transportation/allowing students to finish the school year if they are on free/reduced lunch (right now you have to be under 2 miles)

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Please provide feedback on AISD's Equity Plan by Sept. 30. Dr. Stephanie Hawley and her colleagues have done some incredible work and need your feedback! English: https://www.austinisd.org/sites/default/files/dept/equity-office/docs/082820_EquityReport_v2_ENG-ro.pdfSpanish equity plan: https://www.austinisd.org/sites/default/files/dept/equity-office/docs/082820_EquityReport_ESP_v1.pdf