oakhillgazette.com
May 1, 2014 Volume 19, No. 9 Southwest Austin’s Community Newspaper Since 1995
Parents urge AISD to fix over-packed Bowie by Bobbie Jean Sawyer OAK HILL - Overcrowding in Austin schools has driven students into portable classrooms and made extracurricular programs a strain. One Bowie high school student said the student overpopulation has gotten so out of hand there’s not even space for a teacher’s desk in his AP calculus class and there’s often little room for students themselves. Brian Jordan, a senior at Bowie,
Local parents organize emergency forum to stress the need for a new local high school now spoke about student overcrowding at a community meeting held at Kiker Elementary School last Thursday. “Students didn’t have room to stand up between desks. Students aren’t getting the attention that they need to succeed in the class,” Jordan
said. “I feel that students are trying to advocate for themselves.” Stacey Hardy, a southwest Austin resident and parent, helped organize and moderate the community forum with local AISD Board of Trustees representative Robert Schneider
addressing overcrowding at local schools and the status of building a long-awaited new high school in south or southwest Austin. Hardy said Austin students can’t afford to wait for improvements when their education is at stake. “I’m just really passionate about making sure these kids get what they need,” Hardy said. “All the kids, no matter where they go to school, they need things and all these things really do affect their education. I want to take politics out of getting kids what they need.” Schneider said the last AISD budget scenario showed that the earliest the See PARENTS on back page
AISD Board of Trustees representative Robert Schneider
APD Commander gives quarterly crime updates by Travis Atkins
Gazette: Travis Atkins
A group of girls about to be awarded Certificates of Appreciation by APD at the Commander’s Forum for addressing a speeding problem in their neighborhood by making signs telling drivers to slow down.
AUSTIN - At the quarterly South Austin Police Commander’s Forum, Commander Todd Gage and his district representatives presented crime stats for the first quarter of 2014, recognized outstanding citizens and officers and talked about community outreach efforts. The big recent news for Southwest Austin residents was the capture of Gary Whiteis, a 60-year-old transient who burglarized homes in Western Oaks between July and November of 2013. “We got a good lead that he was out of state and we picked him up in Roswell, New Mexico,” Officer Jeffrey Binder said. “There were nine burglaries he confessed to, about 2025 police believe he was linked to.”
Car burglaries on the rise Binder is the representative for much of Southwest Austin. He said car burglaries have been on the rise as of late. Police saw ten in one night recently between Western Oaks and Legend Oaks. None of the thefts involved broken windows though, Binder said, meaning residents had lefts their cars unlocked. “We really want to encourage people to always lock your car,” Binder said. “Don’t leave any valuables or anything someone may perceive as valuables in your car because that’s what they’re going to be looking for. If you happen to have stuff in your car put it away, out of sight.” See APD on page 25