Advancing Diversity and Social Change in Honor of Paul Davidoff
Equity-Based Long-Range Plan
Austin Independent School District, DLR Group, Adisa Communications, Vanir Construction Management, Inc. & Wright Enterprise Group
Austin, Texas
[ Ссылка ]
The Austin ISD Equity-Based Long-Range Plan recognized that school planning is integral to both community and neighborhood planning, with a focus on supporting students, schools, and local communities.
Over 100 community members—including students, staff, and families—contributed more than 120 hours and participated in 40+ committee meetings to co-create the plan. Additionally, one-on-one and small-group interviews were conducted with over 900 individuals, to understand what was/was not working, and what would improve their child’s experience.
AISD’s Office for Organizational Transformation (formerly the Office) developed the Equity by Design process, which engaged underserved communities to make decisions WITH – not FOR – these communities. The objective was to shift power in the decision-making process towards those most impacted by district decisions, creating a more transparent, community-driven approach.
The equity-based approach successfully secured support for Austin ISD's largest-ever bond program: a $2.4 billion initiative that will fund 30 transformative projects along with many smaller-scale maintenance upgrades and facility improvements across remaining schools. Through an equity-based lens, the plan not only addressed critical facility needs but also incorporated strategies to improve district-wide operations to achieve greater equitable outcomes for historically and currently underserved students within AISD.
Jury said: “The plan broke new ground in school planning, offering innovative and replicable solutions for communities facing similar challenges.”
