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The Austin ISD community came together Thursday night to discuss budget changes that include cutting more than 550 positions, including teachers, as the district is working on reducing a $181 million deficit.
Christopher Taylor, a former Austin police officer, is suing the city and the Austin Police Department to try and get his job back after being acquitted in a fatal shooting.
The University of Texas at Austin has begun the process of removing a statute honoring Cesar Chavez, following accusations of sexual abuse against the late labor leader.
Plus: Ahead of Game 2 of the NBA Finals, where to catch the action and how Spurs fans in Austin are feeling.
And join KUT for our summer reading bingo challenge!
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The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.
Jerry Quijano [00:00:08] The Austin ISD community came together last night to discuss budget changes that include cutting more than 550 positions as the district is working to reduce a $181 million budget deficit. And a former Austin police officer is suing the city and the Austin Police Department to try and get its job back. More about the lawsuit filed against the city this week. And the University of Texas at Austin has begun the process of removing a statue honoring Cesar Chavez, following accusations of sexual abuse against the late labor leader. It’s been a busy week of news in our community. We’ll get you caught up on the latest with today’s show.
KUT Announcer: Laurie Gallardo [00:00:43] The Austin Signal is a production of KUT News, hosted by Jerry Quijano.
Jerry Quijano [00:00:48] Plus, we’ve got an excerpt from the live storytelling event Accent Unmuted for ya, and Game 2 of the NBA Finals so much more coming up next, it’s right here on Austin Signal. . Howdy out there. This is Austin Signal. Happy Friday. It is June 5th. Thank you for tuning in. I’m Jerry Quijano. Got a lot of show for you today, so we are going to jump right in. The Austin ISD community came together last night to discuss changes that include cutting 558 positions as the district is working on reducing a $181 million budget deficit. KUT’s Greta Diaz-Gonzalez-Vasquez was there.
Austin ISD Community [00:01:37] Good evening, everyone. We’re ready to start the meeting.
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:01:40] One after another, members of the community urged the board and the district to reconsider eliminating teaching positions, reducing the number of librarians per school and cutting special programs. Schools with less than 400 students would move into having a part-time librarian. Gabriela Garcia was told on the last day of school her job was on the chopping block.
Gabriela Garcia [00:02:00] It’s awful, and it’s awful that they publicly stated that they weren’t gonna cut library positions and then to do this and wait until the last day, like all of it feels very intentional and that’s really hurtful.
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:02:12] The district is also proposing moving middle school and high school transportation to a hub model. Students would be picked up and dropped off at their closest elementary campuses instead of on designated spots. Board members said this could lead to drops in enrollment and daily attendance rates. Here’s trustee Lynn Boswell.
Austin ISD Community [00:02:29] I really, really, struggle with asking this of our families and putting our students in these situations. That it really worries me. And I think we’re going to have students get harmed. And not every neighborhood is equally safe for a kid to walk to an elementary school.
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:02:43] Some board and community members pointed out that the cuts are being felt more at campus levels than at central office. Trustee Kevin Foster said everyone has been affected by cuts in the last few years.
Trustee Kevin Foster [00:02:54] I hope we can step back and understand we’re in the Hunger Games. That what’s happening is that we’re pitting and getting pitted against, is it this cut or is it that? And do they have too much or do they too much? Nobody has enough.
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:03:08] AISD is not the only district in Texas trying to balance a budget deficit. Parents and teachers from across the state urged legislators in Austin this week to increase the per-student allotment. I’m Greta Diaz-Gonzalez Vazquez in Austin.
Jerry Quijano [00:03:26] A former Austin police officer is suing the city and the Austin Police Department to try and get his job back. SKUT’s Andrew Weber reports Christopher Taylor filed a lawsuit against the city this week.
Andrew Weber [00:03:39] Taylor was involved in two high-profile officer-involved shootings within six years on the job at the Austin Police Department, one in which he fatally shot Maurice De Silva in 2019 at his downtown condo, and another in 2020 when he fataly shot Mike Ramos in southeast Austin. Taylor was charged in both cases. He was charged with murder in the Ramos case that ended in a hung jury, but he was convicted of deadly conduct in the 2019 De Silva shooting, and he was fired from his job at the Austin Police Department. Taylor appealed the deadly conduct charge and he was acquitted late last year. Michael Bullock with Austin’s police union says the city should have reinstated Taylor then and there because he was cleared for duty by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement or TECOL.
Michael Bullock [00:04:22] Because Tikal then reinstated his license back retroactively as if it had never been suspended in the first place, and so that meant that the justification the department has for terminating it.
Andrew Weber [00:04:35] Disappear. The city and APD said Thursday they had not been formally served the lawsuit, but they said they would challenge it in court. Taylor’s acquittal is still being challenged by Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza, who questioned the validity of the decision by an Amarillo-based state appeals court. Garza’s office argued Taylor didn’t have to kill De Silva, who was in a mental health crisis and holding a knife at his downtown condo in 2019. Taylor’s attorneys have maintained he was in danger, and he operated within APD’s training. I’m Andrew Weber. In Austin.
Jerry Quijano [00:05:14] The University of Texas at Austin has begun the process of removing a statue honoring Cesar Chavez, following accusations of sexual abuse against the late labor leader. As KUT’s Katie McAfee reports, the move caught plenty of students and staff off guard.
Katy McAfee [00:05:33] Crews in hard hats spent Thursday afternoon boarding up the statue with wooden planks. It’s been a fixture here since 2007 and was the first Latino statue on campus. But now, it’s the latest symbol of Cesar Chavez to be removed after a New York Times investigation alleged he sexually abused women and girls. Some of the response has been swift. A mural in Austin honoring Chavez was painted over shortly after the news came out. Austin ISD canceled Cesar’s Chavez Day in March and instead honored Dolores Huerta. A Chicana labor leader who’s also one of the women accusing Chavez of abuse. City of Austin leaders are considering renaming Cesar Chavez Street. Alfonso Ayala III is a PhD student in Mexican American and Latino studies at UT. His is among a group of ethnic and gender studies departments being consolidated by the university. Ayala says he doesn’t think keeping the statue of Chavez is a good idea, but he’s concerned about how UT decided to take action.
Alfonso Ayala III [00:06:29] It seems suspicious to me that, um, community response to keep our departments open has gone unanswered, but community response to remove a statue that commemorates a famous Chicano was responded to.
Katy McAfee [00:06:45] UT professor Juan Gonzalez was involved in funding and installing the statue of Cesar Chavez. He says he’s not opposed to it being taken down, but he wants it to be replaced with another symbol honoring the labor movement.
Juan Gonzalez [00:06:56] I think there should have been an engaged conversation, debate, and I think a well-standing community of faculty and students could have come up with recommendations of how to keep honoring the current ongoing struggles of farm workers.
Katy McAfee [00:07:12] The sudden removal is a shift from the way UT officials approached controversial symbols on campus in the past. In 2017, UT removed three Confederate monuments on campus after meeting with students, holding two public hearings, and deliberating with a 12-person task force. UT officials have not explained the decision to remove the statue, or what the next steps are. I’m Katie McAfee in Austin.
Jerry Quijano [00:07:39] Here in Austin and around the country, really, folks are choosing to stay in and eat at home. Rising food costs has diners dwindling, but the owners of a local restaurant are coming up with ways to welcome them back in. NPR’s Joe Hernandez takes us to a pay-what-you-will night here in town.
Locodoro [00:07:57] Fire, fire, fire!
Joe Hernandez [00:07:59] Zayed Ahmed’s party of four is ready to order. They go for the rosemary sourdough focaccia, fresh mozzarella, meatballs, rigatoni, and spaghetti.
Zayed Ahmed [00:08:09] My family in general, we don’t always have the most money to spend, so we don’t always get to go to somewhere nice when they come over.
Joe Hernandez [00:08:14] Tonight though they changed their original plan to go to a pizzeria and instead came to Locodoro an Italian restaurant in Austin’s Mueller neighborhood
Zayed Ahmed [00:08:23] But I figured this is an opportunity to actually, you know, experience something a little better without having to, I don’t know, shell out $150 for the four of us.
Joe Hernandez [00:08:34] That’s because Tuesdays have been pay-what-you-will night at Locodoro since December. Armand Daniels and his date are sitting at a table by the bar.
Armand Daniels [00:08:43] We didn’t have a really great Valentine’s Day. I mean, it was okay, but nothing out of the ordinary, nothing spectacular. So, this is our Valentine’s day.
Joe Hernandez [00:08:53] Daniels works as an actor and brand ambassador and was considering paying less than full price when the bill came.
Armand Daniels [00:09:00] Things are a little bit tight.
Joe Hernandez [00:09:01] And harder and harder to find. Last fall, Locodoro co-owners Adam Orman and Fiore Tedesco III started thinking about how to respond to the shrinking number of people able to afford dining out. Rising food costs, tariffs, and a labor shortage forced many restaurants to hike their prices just as consumers were trying to spend less. Orman says the partners wanted to make their restaurant more accessible. Getting drive through.
Adam Orman [00:09:28] Is not going out. Sitting down, being treated with hospitality, being a guest is a thing that everybody should be experiencing regularly, because it feels good.
Joe Hernandez [00:09:40] Tuesday night diners at Locodoro still pay full price for drinks, but they can order whatever they want off the regular food menu and choose how much to pay for it. They pay a 20% service fee on their final total. Tedesco says he understands the impulse to raise prices, but chooses to do the opposite.
Fiore Tedesco [00:09:57] I feel really confident and I feel lighter and more loving and more full and more generous in practicing the spirit of leaning that other way. Of saying, no, it’s actually the lesson here is this really is for everybody.
Joe Hernandez [00:10:15] A YouGov report from October found that 37% of U.S. Diners said they were dining out less often than they had a year earlier, while only 8% said they are going out more. The top reasons for staying home were rising menu prices and a desire to save money. Orman and Tedesco say they hope the pay-what-you-will concept makes it possible for some of those people to enjoy a restaurant meal. That night, the restaurant made $70 less than menu prices. Orman says diners typically pay less than their full bill on pay what you will nights, but also that the promotion has led to an increase in traffic and revenue on Tuesdays, which are usually slow. As Zayed Alhamed awaited his meal, he admitted to feeling a little guilty about the deal he was getting.
Zayed Ahmed [00:10:59] Well, I go to like order and I’m just like, I have to like fight through this feeling of like, am I allowed to do this? Am I? You know, like again, I’m not going to write $10 down, but it doesn’t feel like it should be possible.
Joe Hernandez [00:11:11] Al Hamid lives next to the restaurant in an apartment he pays for using rental assistance. He says as he builds his career and life in Austin, he hopes to support more local businesses like Locodoro and be the reason they’re able to afford promotions like this.
Jerry Quijano [00:11:26] Ours, Joe Hernandez, will be back after a break. This is Austin Signal, welcome back. Well school is out, but summer reading lists are in, and KUT’s got a summer reading challenge just for you. For more, we are talking with Wyn Davis. She’s a digital editor and curator of KUTs Field Guide to Austin. Wyn, thanks for coming on the show.
Wynne Davis [00:11:51] Thanks so much.
Jerry Quijano [00:11:52] So tell us more about this challenge, I saw it I believe in the KUT newsletter, but tell us more.
Wynne Davis [00:11:57] Yeah, so this challenge is gonna take the form of a bingo card, because who does not love bingo? This is coming off of our field guide to indie bookstores. And also, you know, this year is the Austin Public Library’s 100th anniversary, so we’re just all about reading this summer.
Jerry Quijano [00:12:16] What was the idea behind the challenge, why did you want to get involved with the community?
Wynne Davis [00:12:20] Yeah, I mean, you know, summer reading is something that’s really nostalgic for a lot of people. A lot of remember growing up with reading challenges at their library, maybe the summer ends with a pizza party or a personal pizza from Pizza Hut. And reading is just so fun. And Austin has a really vibrant literary scene that could always use some more recognition and who doesn’t love to just get lost in a book.
Jerry Quijano [00:12:45] And it’s fun, I think, to participate in something that’s bigger than yourself, knowing that everybody else in Austin is participating in this. So how can folks get involved?
Wynne Davis [00:12:55] Yeah, so we are publishing the reading challenge today. Like I said, it’s gonna take the form of a bingo card. So if you get one bingo, you’ll get a set of prizes, second bingo and then if you a blackout, so you complete all the prompts on your card, we’re gonna have a couple raffle prizes that you will be entered to win, including a pair of tickets to our next A.T. Explained live show.
Jerry Quijano [00:13:20] Okay, that’s that’s a pretty good deal. Okay. Well, you will you mention those those summer reads Do you have one that comes to the top of your mind that is like accessible? Maybe somebody could read it over the course of a week-long vacation or a day out by by the water What is the first one that come to your mind?
Wynne Davis [00:13:38] Uh, while the first one that comes to mind is my, so far my only five star read of the year, it’s called the God of the woods by Liz Moore. It’s very, uh, takes you to a place that’s kind of nostalgic. If you ever went to summer camp, you were in the woods, some mystery. It has different points of time that you’re going between. Uh, and it just like keeps you going. It is a little bit of a thick book, however, you, you know, it hooks you and you’ll get through it. It’s a page turn.
Jerry Quijano [00:14:07] And there’s a payoff it sounds like at the end it’s worth it okay okay cool that is Wynn Davis she is a digital editor here at KUT news and the curator of KUT’s field guide to Austin we’ll have a link to the field guide and to the summer reading challenge in today’s show notes thank See you in-
Wynne Davis [00:14:24] Thanks, Jerry.
Nammy Sirur [00:14:32] This is Austin Signal. I’m Nami Saroor, creator of the live storytelling event, Accent Unmuted. Storyteller Yuri Kanimba faced a make or break moment, one where her entire future hinged on solving a math equation.
Yuri Kanimba [00:14:48] Imagine you are in a race against time. Your entire future is on the line. And the only thing that will get you out of this predicament is solving a math problem. Who can relate to this? Who hasn’t really been in this situation before? I grew up, I’m originally from Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills, where the horizons It feels like a painting. But as much as I love my country, I dream for something beyond those hills. I wanted to study abroad and I also wanted to become an engineer. And the only opportunity that said yes was the U.S. I was thrilled and excited because my dream was starting to take shape. If you’re not aware, as an international student studying in America, you pay double. The tuition, more than that. And I boarded the plane with Justina for one year. What was I going to do for those three years? I didn’t have to have a perfect plan. I just needed to have the courage to say yes, one step at a time. So I got a job as a tutor, and that was enough for covering for the basics, but not really enough for my tuition. So I had to apply for scholarships. After class, you find my friend yapping about what the weekends will be. I was in the computer lab, browsing and trying to find anything that I could be eligible for. Bookmarking anything that didn’t say, are you a US citizen? Because that line alone removed half of the options. And I applied to so many, many rejected. I was starting to feel like this scholarship is a fantasy. Then one time, when I was scrolling through the website of our department, I saw this scholarship saying, McCoy School of Engineering married scholarship and didn’t have any application form. So I decided to go and talk to my department chair, Dr. Wang. And I said, Dr.Wang, I sold this scholarship on the website and didn’t have any application form, how do I get to it? And Dr. Wentz says. This scholarship is only reserved for outstanding students, typically in the second year. And my, in my thought. I just started. How can I prove to you that I’m deserving? So he grabs a pen and he writes, what is the derivative of natural log of X? Oh God, my mind was fresh from high school and I’ve been solving those equations like almost every day. So I immediately grabbed the pen and I was like, one over X. And he grabs it back. It’s like, what is the integral of co-sides? Grab it back, side of X plus constant. After that, he told me words that I will never forget. He said, take this piece of paper, bring it to Christine, and tell her to apply the scholarship to your tuition. In that moment, my tuition dropped by $4,000. Scholarship were no longer a distant achievement. It was something tangible. This is actually real, it could happen. What else can I get? Every semester I was applying to minimum three scholarships and many came back rejecting me, but I had enough to finish my degree in time. Two sets of math equations were the domino that set everything in motion. Me finishing on time. Becoming an engineer, a system engineer, working on AI infrastructure, the peace of mind to think about the future, the ability to be here, to travel, to visit family. So today, whatever you’re working on, whatever dreams that you have, you don’t need to have it all figured out. If you wanna find out, you just have to make the first step, even if math is really not your. Strong point
Nammy Sirur [00:19:28] That was Yuri Kanemba, telling her story to a live audience at a recent Accent Unmuted in Studio 1A here at KUT. I’m Nami Sirur and this is Austin Signal.
Jerry Quijano [00:19:46] Game two of the NBA Finals is tonight. The Spurs trail the New York Knicks by one game. Chelsea Zhu is KUT’s engagement reporter. She was out at a watch party on Wednesday for game one, and she’s with us now in the studio. Thanks for being here, Chelsea.
KUT Announcer: Laurie Gallardo [00:19:59] Thanks for having me.
Jerry Quijano [00:20:00] So before I ask you what the experience was like, I know it was a little rainy, why do the Spurs have so much support here in Austin?
Chelsey Zhu [00:20:07] Yeah, it’s because the Spurs team has really made an active effort to make it that way in Austin. I think kind of the crowning jewel of all of their processes is that they play the I-35 series in Austin, which started a few years ago, and that’s where they play two home games every year at the Moody Center in Austin specifically for Austin fans to come out. And the connection isn’t just like events and stuff, they also have their official minor league team, the Austin Spurs, based out of Cedar Park. And, you know, they also just do a lot of outreach. They renovate basketball courts, they paint murals around town. They have like promotional deals with restaurants and coffee shops. So yeah, they do a lots.
Jerry Quijano [00:20:46] Yeah, there’s the natural connection because they’re obviously so close, but it seems like they’re going above and beyond that to try to foster some support for Spurs fans here in Austin. So, what did that support look like on Wednesday when you were out at this watch party? Where were you?
Chelsey Zhu [00:21:00] So we were at Chalmers, which is a sports bar in East Austin. And I also wanted to mention that this is an official watch party that Chalmer’s partnered with the Spurs for specifically for Austin fans. So that’s like another thing that they do. It was totally packed hundreds of people. There were not enough seats for people. There were tons of people standing. And yeah, it rained before the game started and a lot of people got caught in the downpour, but the energy was still really high.
Jerry Quijano [00:21:26] Did you talk to anybody in particular?
Chelsey Zhu [00:21:28] Yes, so one of the fans I talked to, Gabby Perlinger, she was also one of people caught in the downpour. And yeah, here’s what she had to say about being at the game.
Gabby Perlinger [00:21:38] The fact that this many people showed up for game one, like, in the rain, like I feel like they’re gonna have a huge turnout in Austin for each game of the finals, no matter what.
Jerry Quijano [00:21:50] Okay well it sounds like the vibes were definitely high and the energy was high. Unfortunately the Spurs did come up short in game one, but looking forward it is still a seven game series, how are Spurs fans feeling about their prospects?
Chelsey Zhu [00:22:03] Yeah, I would say there was still a lot of hope in the air, you know, that was game one, it’s, we still got a long way to go and people were already thinking ahead about, you know, what Wemby needs to do for next time. And there was also, you know, we asked people a few fun questions. And one of the things that I asked was, you know, What is the worst thing that you would do to guarantee a Spurs championship? And I talked to this one guy Santos Jaimez, and here’s what he had to say.
Santos Jaimes [00:22:27] I probably run around New York with spurs spray-painted on me saying go spurs, go sprues in the Bronx, somewhere heavy, and I might get my ass beat. I might not come back alive, but you know, if that’s what I gotta do, I’ll do it, man.
Jerry Quijano [00:22:40] Okay, that’s a pretty… It sounds pretty intense to me. Have you heard anything from Nix fans?
Chelsey Zhu [00:22:45] Not at the Austin Watch Party, but I’ve been watching some videos online and, you know, some next fans are saying that they’d give away their firstborn children and stuff like that, so I’ve yet to have a Spurs fan say that, but it’s early.
Jerry Quijano [00:22:56] Okay, that’s true. That’s true, it’s only game two tonight, so we’ll see as we move down along. So yeah, game two, tonight. Is there another watch party happening?
Chelsey Zhu [00:23:04] Yeah, so Chalmers is hosting every watch party in Austin for the home games, including tonight. And then they also have a sister bar, Armadillo Den, who’s hosting the away games starting Monday.
Jerry Quijano [00:23:16] All righty, that is Chelsea Zhu. She is KUT’s engagement reporter. We’re gonna have a link to her reporting in today’s show notes. Thank you, Chelsea. Thank you. And some more sports to wrap up the week. The Texas Longhorns are once again softball college world series champions. Texas Swep, former Big 12 rival, Texas Tech to win its second championship in as many years. Junior pitcher Tegan Cavan through a complete game in game one. Then struck out five batters in the last two innings last night to win the World Series most outstanding player, the first player to win this award in consecutive years. The World Cup kicks off next week Juan Diego Garcia of the KUT Podcast Vamos Verde will be joining us then for a preview of the action and tonight here in Austin, Saudi Arabia will have one last friendly competition before the tournament. The Saudi team is using Austin as a base during the World Cup. They will face Puerto Rico out at Q2 Stadium. Game time is at 6 o’clock. And that is it for us today here on Austin Signal. There is plenty more about the stories we shared with you today. And there were a lot of them in the podcast show notes and at kut.org slash signal. That’s where you can find all the work that we produce here for you. Rayna Sevilla is our technical director. Alexandra Hart is our producer. Kristen Cabrera is our managing producer. And a special shout out to Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez, KUT’s education reporter extraordinaire who was very busy this week and featured on all five days of our show. Greta, we appreciate you very very much. I’m your host, Jerry Quijano. Austin Signal will be back on Monday. We’ll talk to you then.
This transcript was transcribed by AI, and lightly edited by a human. Accuracy may vary. This text may be revised in the future.
