. . Zilker neighborhood has been in the news a lot recently. Why? Because Zilker Elementary is on the Austin Independent School District’s (AISD’s) list of schools it might close to meet its budget deficits next year. Zilkerites see Zilker Elementary as the “heart of the ‘hood”. Closing Zilker Elementary would change the dynamic of the neighborhood considerably and neighbors are up in arms. I’d like to share what I’ve observed about this community during this crisis.
Zilkerites Love Zilker Elementary
From observing the Zilker list serve during this crisis, it’s clear: Zilkerites love their neighborhood and Zilker Elementary is a big part of that. Geographically, the school sits in the middle of the neighborhood. It’s connected to a lovely neighborhood park, Little Zilker. It’s not just parents with kids at, or soon to be at, the school…. My favorite signal of protest so far were all the hand-made signs done by the students themselves. “Save my school”. “But my brother needs to come here too.” etc. Everyone has been showing their support of the school.
Barton Hills and Zilker are Good Neighbors
Barton Hills is the neighborhood to the west of Zilker. Barton Hills is also at risk of losing their neighborhood school, Barton Hills Elementary. The two neighborhoods have banded together to share information about how to save both schools. Parents, neighbors, the PTA and the neighborhood association of each neighborhood are working tirelessly to ensure our schools stay open. It’s amazing to see such togetherness in the community, such tenacity and such action!
78704 Attracts Musicians
South Austin/78704 has often been considered a spot for musicians to live. At a rally to save the schools Tuesday, January 11, three local musicians sang. Ben Kweller, Matt the Electrician and Sarah Hickman all showed their support. How wonderful to have respected neighbors willing to lend their voice to the cause!
While budget shortfalls as large as this one are hard to overcome, it would be a shame to lose any of the neighborhood schools if they add to the community of Austin. Let’s hope for some good news soon! In the meantime, I’ll be cherishing my neighborhood and its people.
They have a task force assigned to come up with a proposal, so far they have found several million that could be cut – but that doesn’t mean Zilker and the other schools are off the hook. Part of their money saving projections include 10 years from now – but I for one can’t imagine approx 8 central Austin schools being closed – just ridiculous.
I feel that many government entities have poor budgeting and planning skills. I had lunch with my daughter the other day to find printed napkins promoting AISD. This kind of cost may be a drop in the bucket, but to me it represents a much greater problem in our school system.
Printed AISD napkins? Yuck. The two neighborhoods are poring through the budget to understand it more fully. It seems the criteria is a bit hit or miss… Hopefully, with everyone banding together, they can figure out some “true” numbers.