Local Support for BHE and Zilker!

Area schools are the heart and soul of the neighborhoods they serve. One of the positives to come out of the stressful past month has been the outpouring of support from neighborhoods and local businesses! This has definitely been true of the South Lamar neighborhoods and the businesses that surround them—they love their schools, and know how adversely they would be affected should they close.

Business Support

The South Lamar & Barton Springs Business Alliance wrote a letter which was signed by over 100 businesses along the South Lamar corridor and neighboring areas. Copies of the letter, complete with all signature pages, were hand-delivered this morning to the mayor, city council members, AISD board trustees, and Chamber of Commerce with copy to the AISD Facility Task Force co-chairs.

Each of our businesses enjoy strong support from the residents of the healthy and diverse neighborhoods in which these schools are located and serve, including transfer students that frequent the area. We believe strongly that closing these schools will have a serious negative economic impact on the success of our respective businesses, many of which are independent and locally owned . . .

Click here to read the entire letter (pdf)

Neighborhood Support

The Barton Hills Neighborhood Association also came together to support their school, Barton Hills Elementary. They passed a resolution on January 25th that reads in part:

BE IT RESOLVED that the Barton Hills Neighborhood Association opposes any Task Force recommendation that Barton Hills Elementary and other similarly successful neighborhood schools be closed in the name of efficiency and that we encourage the Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees to first look to more effective ways of reducing the budget while maintaining educational excellence.

(Many thanks to the East Cesar Chavez Neighborhood Committee for the original resolution that inspired this one.)

Click here to download and read the entire resolution (pdf)

THANK YOU!

We would like to offer sincere thanks to both groups for showing their strong support during this difficult time. We will never forget your strong words and actions!