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From efforts to improve enrollment to intervention plans at struggling schools, here are five of the biggest stories happening in Austin ISD.

State education agency approves 22 of 24 AISD turnaround plans

The Texas Education Agency has approved turnaround plans for 22 out of 24 low-performing campuses.

The agency has requested additional details for the two remaining campuses—Widén Elementary and Winn Montessori.

AISD board approves sale of former Brooke Elementary

At a Jan. 29 meeting, the AISD board approved selling of the former Brooke Elementary site to Trammell Crow Company and High Street. The board's vote will allow Superintendent Matias Segura to negotiate and execute a sale with the developer.

District prepares for future attendance boundary changes, school closures

The AISD board could vote to close more schools and rezone thousands of students this fall.

The district now plans to resume work and community engagement around potential boundary changes this spring before deciding in October whether to rezone or close additional campuses in the 2027-28 school year, according to AISD information.

While some individuals are interested in coping with experiences by enrolling in traditional one-on-one therapy sessions, others may be drawn to healing alongside a community.

Austin-based running club Good Grief has shaped an experience for community members to find solace in staying active while working through their grief with people going through similar situations.

The inspiration: The club was founded by Samantha Hendel who received news in 2022 of her mother’s lung cancer diagnosis. While trying to make sense of the news, a week later Hendel was notified her father had received a colon cancer diagnosis.

To cope with the news, Handel started running in addition to going to therapy. She said while run clubs were popular in the city, she wasn’t finding an exact space like the one she was looking for.

The local impact: Today, the group averages 100 people every Monday morning at Noble Joe’s Coffee Co. in South Austin.

Area residents seeking careers in the infrastructure and mobility sector can attend an Austin Infrastructure Academy career expo Feb. 4 at Austin Community College's Highland Campus.

The details: The academy's next infrastructure career fair will allow job-seekers to meet with area employers and explore career opportunities in fields like transportation, construction and other skilled trades. Workforce resources, and in-person interviews for open positions, will be offered.

The expo is taking place as part of the Austin Infrastructure Academy initiative, created to address regional employment needs related to the billions of dollars in major infrastructure projects planned or underway around Central Texas. The academy is supported by the city, ACC and Workforce Solutions Capital Area.

The free event will take place Feb. 4 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the ACC Make It Center located at 6101 Highland Campus Drive, Bldg. 2000, Room 2.2429. Registration for the public event is available online.

Well owners and residents from South Austin to San Marcos could soon see the region’s worst drought declaration in almost 40 years as the area approaches 44 consecutive months in a drought, increasing costs and labor for well owners.

Current situation: The Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District warns that without significant rainfall, it may soon issue a Stage 4 Emergency Response Period declaration for the first time in its 39-year history, the most extreme drought stage the district can issue.

The local impact: About 50% of Texans rely on groundwater, said Shay Hlavaty, Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District communications and outreach manager. Residents operating domestic wells in the district may be required to lower their pumps, a costly and time-consuming endeavor.

Residents receiving water from municipalities in the district’s coverage area will see increased water restrictions.

Affected municipalities will set restrictions to meet district requirements as they see fit, such as increased costs or fines for overconsumption.

Next steps: Hlavaty urged pump owners and residents to conserve water by avoiding outside watering, take shorter showers and run full loads of dishes and laundry.

Check out six upcoming, ongoing or completed transportation projects across the Austin metro, including toll roads in North Austin and Cedar Park, various lane expansions and improvements for cyclists and pedestrians.

Upcoming: New Hope Drive expansion
The traffic changes come as the city is working to expand New Hope Drive from four to six lanes and open an innovative intersection design at New Hope Drive and 183A Toll.
Update: The project is in the design phase.

• Timeline: expected completion summer 2027
• Cost: $1.8 million
• Funding source: 2022 transportation bond

• Timeline: total project completion expected in 2026
• Cost: $612 million
• Funding source: federal funding, sale of roll revenue bonds, Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act funds