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AISD Cancels Contract With IDEA


New this morning, a late night vote by AISD board members will sever ties with a controversial partnership with charter operator IDEA.

Board members debated into the night before handing down a close decision on the controversial issue Monday. In a 5 to 4 vote around 11 p.m., AISD board members voted to end their contract with IDEA, after dozens of supporters and opponents camped out overnight Sunday to have the chance to speak out on the issue. During the 2012-13 school year, Allan Elementary in East Austin started to work with IDEA, and Eastside Memorial High was supposed to be the next school to enter the charter program, but Monday’s vote changes that. Now the district has to come up with a transitional plan for students at Allan. Right now, school officials don’t have a timeline on implementing a transition plan for the East Austin campus.

The board also approved implementing a charter school at Travis Heights, though there was no controversy on that decision. The board also voted to expand the district’s Spanish-English dual language programs into more elementary and middle schools, as well as expanding Mandarin Chinese into the middle school level.
   
By Adam Bennett