Category Archives: public affairs

American Graduate: Goodwill School Puts Adult Drop-outs Back on Track

Posted on by

The Goodwill Excel Center, which opened its doors in August, is a regular charter high school – except its students are adults, aged 19-50, who dropped out of high school. They teach all of the traditional high school courses, with students picking up where they left off.

Many people who drop out of high school eventually earn their GED, but Head of School Dr. Billy Harden says there is a big difference in earning potential between a GED and a regular high school diploma.

“We’re looking at possibly anywhere in the range of a $2,000 to $9,000 difference if a student gets their high school diploma,” Dr. Harden said. “I’m already seeing it changing their lives. I’m seeing more of our students coming each day and the learning is becoming more intrinsic. It’s starting to look and feel like a way to empower themselves. So, they not only have the ability to say ‘I have my high school diploma, but I’m a little smarter than I was when I got here,’ and I think that’s very important.”

We spoke to Matilda Zamarripa, who dropped out her senior year of high school. Matilda has worked successfully in the beauty industry for almost 20 years but has always wanted to earn her high school diploma.

“You kind of carry that little secret around. Like oh, I’ve never finished,” Matilda said. “My daughter definitely inspired me when she was graduating high school. Going to her graduation two years ago reminded me like ‘wow, I never got to experience this’ but I got to experience it through her. She’s now on her second year at Texas State University and that really inspired me you know, I really want[ed] to go back to school.”

You can hear more about Matilda and the Goodwill Excel Center in the video above.

A shortened version of this story will air locally as a KLRU News Briefs during PBS NewsHour Weekend, Sunday, November 23 at 6:30pm. Do you have an American Graduate story idea? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at CivicSummit@klru.org, post a comment, or tweet at us using #amgradtx. 

 

KLRU News Brief: Adler, Martinez Debate Leadership Qualities

Posted on by

On Thursday Austin Mayoral runoff candidates Steve Adler and Mike Martinez recorded Civic Summit: Mayoral Runoff Conversation, an hour-long discussion about the leadership qualities each would employ if they are elected on December 16. Our Sunday News Brief includes excerpts from that debate. The entire debate is online and will air on KLRU on Friday, November 21 at 8pm.

A point of discussion in this election has been what the mayor’s role will be in wrangling discussion and debate among the ten new city council members.

“Whether you’re a district council member from east or west Austin, your issues are going to be the same,” explained Martinez.  ”As mayor, you find that common ground, and you build on that common ground.”

“We have one city here,” said Adler.  ”And we either move together as a whole city or none of us are going to be moving together.

You can watch the entire debate online here.

KLRU News Briefs air locally every Saturday and Sunday evening during PBS NewsHour Weekend. 

AISD Awards Belated Diplomas to War Veterans

Posted on by

It’s a graduation that’s been years in the making.  On Veterans Day, the Austin Independent School District awarded 11 veterans with diplomas from their respective high schools.  It’s a ceremony that AISD has held since 2002, offering veterans who did not finish high school and who served in any formally declared war or military engagement a chance to don the cap and gown.  For some, it’s a chance they’ve waited years to take.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted,” said Air Force veteran Doyle Hobbs.  ”It seemed like a gift from heaven.”

“I completed my G.E.D.,” recalled U.S. Military veteran Eugenio Gaona.  ”But I always wished I could get it converted so I could have a diploma from my hometown.  Now I’m happy. I have a high school diploma from my high school.”

Click here for more information on the AISD Diploma Award Ceremony and eligibility requirements.

KLRU News Briefs air locally every Saturday and Sunday evening during PBS NewsHour Weekend. 

 

KLRU News Brief: Austin Transportation Bond Fails…Now What?

Posted on by

On Election Day Austin voters rejected a $600M transportation bond by a wide margin. For our Saturday News Brief we spoke to Capital Metro to find out if they have a plan B.

“We’re chipping away where we can,” Capital Metro President and CEO Linda Watson told us. “We have recently received federal funds and TXDOT funds to increase capacity on the current red line commuter rail line [and] within three years we will be able to offer 15 minute service. We’re also looking at operating express buses on express lanes on MoPac. You want to get the most bang for your buck, especially when you’re using taxpayer’s money.”

The City of Austin Demographer published a map this week showing how the vote broke down by precinct. It was supported by many in the urban core, but got very little support in the outlying areas.

Watson told us she does not blame the people who didn’t support paying property taxes for a system they wouldn’t use.

We also spoke to Dr. Kara Kockelman, Professor of Transportation Engineering at the University of Texas. Watch the video above to hear her thoughts on why rail might not be the best solution for Austin.

KLRU News Briefs air locally every Saturday and Sunday evening during PBS NewsHour Weekend. 

 

 

American Graduate: TX Veterans Commission Kicks Off ‘Drop Your Rucksack, Grab a Backpack’ Campaign

Posted on by

Sunday during PBS NewsHour, KLRU’s News Brief is part of American Graduate, a focus on the Central Texas dropout crisis. This week we spoke to the Texas Veterans Commission about their new campaign “Drop Your Rucksack, Grab a Backpack,” which launches on Veteran’s Day. It is aimed at encouraging Texas veterans to use the education benefits available to them.

“Sometimes veterans coming out of the service feel like they don’t have time to go back to school and get an education but fortunately the military has set up the post 9/11 G.I. Bill that pays for their college education and gives them a stipend on top of that,” Bonnie Fletcher, Education Specialist at the Texas Veterans Commission said. “The State of Texas also has a state benefit, the Hazelwood Act. We offer up to a 150 credit hours of tuition paid at any public school in Texas. These are benefits that you’ve earned and they’re there for you to utilize.”

We spoke to Dan Hamilton, a Junior at the University of Texas, who served in the Marine Corps after high school and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. You can hear more about his story, and about the program, in the video above.

KLRU News Briefs air locally during PBS NewsHour Weekend, Saturday and Sunday at 6:30pm. Do you have an American Graduate story idea? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at CivicSummit@klru.org, post a comment, or tweet at us using #amgradtx. 

In the Studio: Austin Runoff Election Candidate Conversations

Posted on by
Civic Summit Taping Announcement

KLRU, Leadership Austin, Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life and KUT will host three nights of discussions about leadership with runoff candidates for Austin’s 10 City Council districts and Austin Mayor.

The forums are free but an RSVP is required. One RSVP gets you access to all tapings on that night. Please RSVP separately for each night you plan to attend.

Tuesday, November 11
5:45 pm Doors open
District 1: 6:30-7pm
District 3: 7:15-7:45pm
District 4: 8:00-8:30pm
District 6: 8:45-9:15pm
RSVP

Wednesday, November 12
5:45 pm Doors open
District 7: 6:30-7pm
District 8: 7:15-7:45pm
District 10: 8:00-8:30pm
RSVP

Thursday, November 13
5:45 pm Doors open
District 2, 5 & 9 Council Member-Elect conversation: 6:30-7pm
Mayor Candidate Conversation: 7:30-8 pm (Reception with light refreshments to follow the Mayoral Candidate taping only)
RSVP

All run-off candidates will be invited to participate in discussions to be taped for broadcast in KLRU’s Civic Summit series. Invitations are also extended to newly-elected council members in Districts 2, 5 & 9 to speak on the same topics.

Only four of the 78 candidates who ran for Austin’s 10 new districts and for Mayor have ever served at City Hall. As our government shifts from an at-large council to one with geographic representation, each person on the dais will be tasked with leading their region, while keeping a focus on the needs of the city as a whole. Our conversations will focus on leadership values and qualities each candidate will bring to our rapidly changing city.

Civic Summit: Runoff Discussions will be focused on the theme of leadership. “By the time run-off elections begin, we will have heard candidates’ opinions on specific policies and projects. What we want to focus on is what leadership values and qualities will they bring to help lead our rapidly changing city,” said Christopher Kennedy, Leadership Austin CEO.

Civic Summit 2015 event sponsor logos

 

 

KLRU News Brief: Interactive Exhibit at Bullock State History Museum Open Through May

Posted on by

On Saturday during PBS NewsHour, we go behind the scenes of a new exhibit at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. La Belle: The Ship that Changed History is unique. Museum goers can watch in real time as curators re-build a 17th Century ship, which spent 300 years underwater in Matagorda Bay.

La Belle belonged to Sieur de La Salle, a French explorer who came to the New World in 1684. He was on his way to the mouth of the Mississippi River, missed it, and landed in Texas.

“He would eventually lose the La Belle in a storm in 1686,” Guest Curator Jim Bruseth explains in our story. “The sinking of the La Belle doomed La Salle’s attempt to establish a colony. Because of that, the French presence in Texas faded, but the scare that it put in the Spanish king started the efforts to colonize and occupy Texas by Spain.”

That scare is why La Belle is called the ship that changed Texas history. The exhibit is open now and runs through May 17, 2015.

KLRU News Briefs air locally during PBS NewsHour Weekend, Saturday and Sunday at 6:30pm. 

 

 

KLRU News Briefs: Inside Esquina Tango and Thinkery Offers Bilingual Storytime

Posted on by
BILINGUAL STORYTIME for web

On Saturday evening KLRU’s local news story during PBS NewsHour is an excerpt from Arts in Context Shorts’ With Panache, a look inside Esquina Tango in East Austin. Teachers Mickey Jacobs and Orazzio Loayza say tango is great for all people, regardless of fitness level.

“I think it’s important of people of all ages to be able to enjoy dance. We believe in health and well-being and dance offers that,” Jacobs said.

“We have people in their 40s, 50s, 60s. It’s good for their health because you’re not running, you’re walking and what is a better exercise than just walking,” Loayza said.

Some classes at the non-profit dance studio are free, some are donation only, and some cost between $12-$15 per class.

On Sunday our story is about The Thinkery’s Bilingual Storytime program. Storytime happens on Community Nights, twice per week, when the museum stays open late and the entrance fee is based upon a donation of any size.

Every Wednesday evening, children’s books are read in English and Spanish by volunteer bilingual students from the University of Texas. Museum staff say the premise came from a desire to bring different cultures together while fostering early literacy.

“The majority of the families are Spanish speaking, or just monolingual and just want their kid to learn Spanish. And to bring those two different communities together in one bilingual storytime is very important,” Sasha Ellington, The Thinkery’s Floor Supervisor said.

On Sunday evenings they offer bilingual storytime with English and American Sign Language.

KLRU News Briefs air locally during PBS NewsHour Weekend, Saturday and Sunday at 6:30pm.

 

 

KLRU News Briefs: Last Minute Surge in Voter Registration & Ten Acre Organics’ Sustainable Aquaponics

Posted on by
Voter Reg Thumbnail

This Saturday during PBS NewsHour Weekend we profile Ten Acre Organics, a sustainable urban farm in East Austin.

Friends Lloyd Minick and Michael Hanan founded the farm back in 2012 with the goal of creating a sustainable approach to agriculture in an urban environment. Now they’ve created a business, using composting, two aquaponics systems and naturally-ventilated greenhouses.

“We sell baskets of groceries  and what we do is we try to sell ten of them in any week to neighbors and people that we work with, and then the food that’s produced in the aquaponics system mostly herbs and greens we sell to local restaurants,” Michael Hanan said.

You can find out more about Ten Acre Organics by watching an extended version of that story on the Central Texas Gardener blog.

On Sunday, we talk to Travis County officials to get a tally of how many people registered to vote before the midnight deadline on Monday, October 6th. Travis County Tax Registrar Bruce Elfant said they saw more people registering this year than in recent gubernatorial election cycles.

“It’s not like a presidential cycle but it’s higher than we typically see in a gubernatorial year,” Elfant said. “We had locations at every Thundercloud Subs throughout Travis County. People could also register at any tax office location, or pick up cards at libraries or post offices. We believe we received as many as 10,000 cards on Monday.”

We also spoke to some University of Texas students registering their classmates on campus.

KLRU News Briefs air every Saturday and Sunday evening during PBS NewsHour Weekend at 6:30pm.