Administrators of the Austin Independent School District recently began a plan to consolidate two schools in East Austin.
As part of the plan, the district will unify Norman Elementary and Sims Elementary. One or the other school will close and the district will build a new school at the location of the one that remains open.
A planning team has been appointed to decide which of the schools will close. It has until January 16 to make its decision. Regardless of what school the team picks, both will open in August as a consolidated campus.
School districts can use newsletter printing to keep staff, parents, and other concerned parties up to date about changes in the schools and plans for the future.
The planning team began to meet with staff at the two elementary at the beginning of the December to discuss the change and evaluate which school would fold into the other school and which would end up with the modernized, rebuilt campus.
One of the reasons for consolidating or unifying the schools was ongoing declining enrollment in some areas of the district. A board meeting is scheduled for December 18. Members of the community who are against the unification of the schools plan on attending the meeting and making their opinions heard.
The consolidation project is included in the district's most recent bond package.
