AISD holds town hall to discuss single-sex proposal
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A town hall meeting was held Saturday to discuss the possibility of two schools in the Austin Independent School District moving to single-sex education.
Educators, community leaders and parents all gathered at LBJ High School in East Austin to debate the pros and cons of Gus Garcia Middle School and James E. Pearce College Preparatory Academy becoming an all-boy or all-girl schools.
Both schools fall into AISD Board Member Cheryl Bradley’s district.
"I believe we can increase attendance, decrease dropout, decrease teenage pregnancy and decrease the number of students going into the prison pipeline," Bradley said of the proposal.
But not all parents and community members are sold. Concerned community member Verushka Gray said many residents felt left out of the decision making process.
"There is a low hum of resentment and anger about how this community's been treated and perceived," Gray said. "There is clearly an amount of frustration that is being vocalized here."
Students wouldn’t apply to the schools. Enrollment is driven by attendance zone, but any leftover seats would go to kids from other areas.
The board is slated to vote on the single-sex school proposal on Aug. 28. If the proposal passes, it would go into effect for the 2013-2014 school year.