Have you encountered an e-moto
on the streets of Austin, these
high-speed electric bikes that are
capable of reaching motorcycle-like
speeds?
That's got some Austinites concerned
about their safety.
We're going to tell you what the
Austin City Council is considering
for these e-motos.
And the school year is over, but
there's no break for the many things
the Austin Independent School
District has to consider, including
a budget deficit, how the
money problems got so bad, and how
they're hoping to address it.
More about these stories coming up
on today's show.
The Austin Signal is a production
of KUT News, hosted by
Jerry Quijano.
And the dog days of summer are
creeping up on us, but Austin dogs
have one less place to beat the heat
after a favorite hang closed down
over the weekend.
We're gonna take you out there, and
we're gonna have some doodling for
ya. It's coming up next, and it's
right here on Austin Signal.
Howdy out there, you are tuned in to
Austin Signal.
I'm your host, Jerry Kiechanel.
It's June 1st, the start of a new
week and a new month.
Glad you're starting it here with
us.
Austin City Council passed recently
new regulations aimed at regulating
pocket bikes and other e-bikes.
These bikes tend to be ridden by
teenagers around neighborhood
streets, and they've been growing in
popularity, and they become a
growing concern for some Austinites.
For more, we are talking with Sam
Stark, government reporter for
Austin Current. Welcome back to the
show, Sam. Thanks so much, Jerry.
So first tell us exactly what
we're talking about when we're
taking about these electric bikes.
Can you tell us, describe them a
little bit for us and how are they
different from like e-bikes that
people might be used to seeing on
their commute home?
Yeah, so these are new class
of electric bikes that have recently
gotten more popular, especially
among children and teenagers.
They're called e-motorcycles or
pocket bikes, and the city is now
kind of referring to them as
e-Motos.
But they can go much faster than
your typical e-bike that you just
described.
Those typically cap out at around
28 miles per hour.
I talked to a store owner who sells
some of these bikes, he says that
some of them can go over 60
miles per hours.
So that's the concern given the
people who are mostly riding them,
don't have licenses, or know the
rules of the road.
Okay so yeah I've seen a few people
riding these e-motos and they tend
to have these big helmets like
motorcycle riders versus like my
tiny smaller bicycle
helmet so is that why
city council is discussing these
e motos because they just present
a little bit more danger.
Yeah, they can go
the speeds more so like a
motorcycle rather than a
bike. And the issue here is,
like I said, a lot of people who are
riding them are kids and teenagers.
And who's the Austin City
Councilmember behind this?
Yeah, so this has been
an issue across the city, but it's
particularly been a challenge for
Southwest Austin.
And that's the district
that Councilmember Paige Ellis.
Represents, so she
filed a resolution aimed at further
defining what these bikes in
city code and regulating them
could look like.
So there currently is a Texas
law already that says pocket
bikes and mini motorbikes are not
authorized for use on public
streets, sidewalks, or bike
paths, but still Ellis said there's
a legal ambiguity surrounding
the vehicles, which may have
contributed to the growing presence
in neighborhoods.
Okay, so we've heard about some
of the neighborhood concerns.
Who are the people that are selling
these Emotos, and what do they have
to say?
Yeah, so I spoke to that store
owner I said earlier.
He said rarely, he
never had children coming into his
store, but in the past year,
now it's more of like a daily
occurrence. He said that he's even
considering drafting up
sort of like waiver, so
if there is an issue with these
bikes and these kids riding them,
that he is not legally responsible.
But just because it is kind of like
an emerging.
Technology, or not necessarily
emerging technology, but just an
emerging, you know,
popularity among these bikes.
Okay, do we know how quickly some
kind of action might come on this?
Yeah, so on Thursday, the Austin
City Council approved that
ordinance that Ellis pushed forward.
And it does a few things.
It directs the city manager to
define and regulate emotos
in the city code, develop rules
for licensing and operation,
and establish penalties for
violations.
The resolution also looks to create
a public awareness campaign so
more people can be aware of it.
And then also review Austin Police
Department training and enforcement
practices, and then explore whether
the city could establish a
designated public area where riders
could legally and safely use the
vehicles. Because that was something
that came up in the council meeting.
We want kids to have
somewhere to be outside,
not stay on their phones all the
time. And so they're just looking
at ways like how can we allow
kids and teenagers to continue to
use this technology, but just in
a safer area where it's not putting
pedestrians and other
vehicles at risk.
All right, that is Sam Stark.
He is the government reporter for
Austin Current.
They are a partner with the KUT
Newsroom and Austin Signal in
covering the city of Austin.
We're gonna have a link to his
reporting in today's show notes.
Sam, great to see you.
Thanks so much, Sherry.
We have been talking a lot over the
past school year about Austin ISD's
budget issues, but for today's
Reporter's Notebook, we wanted to
take a closer look at why the
district is facing that deficit to
begin with.
Greta Diaz-Gonzalez-Vasquez is KUT's
education reporter, and she's with
us now. Hi, Greta.
Hey Jerry.
So you have been reporting for a
while on Austin ISD's budget woes,
how it's affecting teachers,
students, and parents, and how AISD
is trying to balance the books.
But let's rewind a little and talk
about how we got here in the first
place.
So broadly speaking, why is
AISC dealing with this deficit?
Yeah, so first of all, I want to
talk about the number.
It's a one hundred and eighty one
million dollar deficit for next
school year. That's what they're
looking at. That's where they're
tackling.
And I don't think that there's an
easy answer to this because there's
inflation, less kids, more
empty seats, but also the per
student allotment, how it has not
kept up with inflation.
Recapture comes up a lot and we can
discuss it.
But really, how schools are funded
in Texas is a big one.
Yeah, and one thing that gets
brought up a lot in those
discussions of AISD's
budget woes is the Texas School
Recapture System, sometimes referred
to as the Robin Hood Plan.
For people who might not be
familiar, how does that plan work
and how does it affect AIS?
Yeah, so we would need to go back to
how schools are funded to understand
recapture, and this is going to be
the simplified version.
So there's the per student
allotment, which is how much
each district gets for
each kid.
Um, and then that is also based on
attendance rate, not enrollment.
And then, so the district gets
a certain amount of money according
how many kids go to school and
then, um, recapture
comes in because Property-rich
districts get more money than
those that... Are not property rich.
And so those districts will give
money to the state so the state can
give it to the non-wealthy
districts. It's really an equity
tool across the state, but a lot
of people say it really reduces
state funding, the state's
obligation to fund public schools.
Now how does it affect AISD?
Well, AISd's total revenue is
a billion four hundred and fifty
four million, that's for next school
year, but they have to give back to
the $608,604 million.
Why? Because they have a certain
amount of kids and a certain amount
of per student allotment that
they're receiving.
And so just so we have an idea of
how much they give, but they have
given back to the state from 2000,
from year 2000, 2001, that school
year till 2024,
2025, AISD has
given the state approximately $8.3
billion in recapture, but
a lot of people also say recapture
is not the problem, or at least not
recapture itself.
Because even if they didn't
pay that much in recapture, they
wouldn't be able to keep the rest.
The per student allotment, that's
what people say. The real problem is
the per student allotments because
that's how much AISD is able
to keep.
And if that amount doesn't
go up, then the district can't keep
more money. And so that amount had
been at 6,160
per kid.
It had been there since
2019.
And then last year it went up $55.
You can imagine that does not keep
up with inflation.
And so if that per student allotment
doesn't go up, then the
districts will be struggling to keep
up inflation.
You mentioned property-rich
districts.
I gotta assume that Austin isn't the
only city that qualifies for
these property- rich districts.
Are other districts being affected
by this?
Yes, I do have to say
AISD is the one that gives the most
to recapture and by quite a bit.
But yes, a lot of districts are
struggling with budget deficits this
year.
In central Texas, we see it in
Haysie ISD.
We also see it in Pflugerville,
Leander.
So there's a lot of districts across
the state that are struggling.
With budgets.
Okay, so we've talked a lot today
about the per-student allotment.
What are the other factors that are
more specific to Austin that are
contributing to this budget
shortfall?
Yeah, so first of all, there's lower
property values that affects what
they called golden pennies, which
are not subjected to recapture.
But then there's also been a decline
in enrollment in the last few years,
which means the district gets less
money and they still have to keep
the same amount of buildings.
We're seeing 10 schools closing
this year.
But there's also more recently
impact of immigration.
Families are afraid to take their
kids to and so that affects
attendance rates, which affects
funding.
AISD also offers a lot of
extra things to student.
And so just to give us an idea,
the region average to spend
per kid is $10,500.
AISC spends 12,400.
And this is because of a lot
reasons, but there's also a lot
extra. So we are seeing right now
the superintendent has says we're
looking at things line by line to
make sure there's no extras
that they don't need anymore and
that that's where they can cut.
Well, the school year wrapped up
last week. You've been taking a look
at how these school closures
have impacted the communities here
in Austin.
Can you tell us a little bit about
the stories that you've been
reporting on?
Yeah, so as the school year
came to an end, I've been working
on what we unofficially called
a series of lasts, which
I've been going to the schools that
are closing or some of them and just
getting the last of something,
right? So I went to Betachek and we
got their last track meet.
And if they won or they didn't, it
was their last chance at glory.
I went to Becker.
I got their last gardening class.
Also last week, we went to the last
senior walk and then the last lunch
at top.
So we're spending time with
different people from different
communities, you know, like
teachers, coaches,
lunch ladies, everybody,
the thing that keeps coming up is
bittersweet.
You know, people are happy to be
coming together for a last thing,
but they're also sad that they won't
see each other again.
Yeah, and you've been reporting a
lot this year about the budget
and about the closures, very
heavy stories.
But what was it like to get back and
talk to the actual
students who are being affected by
all these things that we talk about?
Oh my God, I love it.
I think I have really enjoyed
my time speaking to
kids, like with kids just asking
questions because they surprise you
with their answers.
Last week I asked a kid what
he liked the best about cafeteria,
the food in his cafeteria
and he said that
he loved the food there, he loved
burgers and that once he tried
bringing food from home and
that he didn't like it so he wasn't
going to do that again.
So yeah, it's been a lot of fun and
just also seeing how much love there
is in these communities and how
they talk about each other.
It's really heartwarming.
Okay, we have been speaking with
Greta Diaz-Gonzalez-Vasquez.
She is KUT's education reporter.
We're gonna have a link to her
reporting in today's show notes.
Greta, thanks for coming back on the
show.
Thank you, Jerry.
And school leaders from across the
state are testifying today at a
Texas House Public Education
Committee hearing focused on the
implementation of House Bill 2.
That's the law passed last
legislative session, increasing
funding for teacher pay, educator
training, and special education
programs.
We're gonna have an update on that
hearing. That's tomorrow here on
Austin Signal.
The San Antonio Spurs are back
in the NBA Finals where they will
face the Eastern Conference
Champion, New York Knicks.
Austin Spurs' alums Kelden Johnson,
Julian Ciampani, and Carter Bryan
all scored in San Antonio's decisive
Game 7 victory over the
defending champion Thunder.
Spurs have won 74 games this season,
including a pair of victories at the
Moody Center back in February.
Tip-off for Game 1 is set
for just after 7.30 on
Wednesday night.
This is Austin's Signal, and we will
be back after this short break.
This is Austin Signal, welcome back.
After 11 years, the Dog
Park plus bar combo, Yard
Bar in Austin's Allendale
neighborhood, has closed.
But before its last day on Saturday,
KUT intern Valeria Cruz-Boutron
met a few pups and their owners,
who decided to make the best of
those last days.
Woof, woof.
My name is C.
Robert Cargill and my dog is Nix.
We've been coming to Yard Bar for
about four years now.
It's become a part of our
daily routine.
You know, we come here easily three,
four times a week with her.
Cause whenever she's getting
rambunctious and wants some clearly
just a walk isn't going to do, but
she wants some, some dog
play. This is where we like to bring
her and wear her out.
And also it allows us to sit and
talk while she's having fun and
talk with other folks who have dogs
and then get to because we're dog
lovers play with other dogs.
So it's, you know,
there's a whole lot of things that
are going to absolutely leave
a part of our, our routine.
My name is Bailey Gilbert.
And I'm Cass Tasarchik.
Mine is Burke, B-U-R-K.
And she just turned 10 years
old last week.
And this is where she gets her
interaction. Our other pup's an old
man, so she doesn't necessarily get
that playtime at home.
So we come here so she can run
around.
And this is Oliver,
he is 13 going on 14,
and he's a tabletop guy around
these parts.
So he spends most of the time, he'll
probably do a lap, sniff the
perimeter, and then make his way to
the top of the table and not leave.
I am Kristen Heaney-Clark
and I am the founder
and operating owner of Yard
Bar. I was always kind of
conflicted between whether or not I
was going to take my dog out to the
park and run him around or go
meet my friends for happy hour.
And so it seemed like there
was probably a better way to do it.
You know, in the 11 years that we've
been here, I think the most
incredible thing has
been.
The community that got built here.
I don't know that I anticipated
how much that would
mean, how much this place would mean
to other people.
That's something I'm really, really
proud of. That's that will
live on long past
Yard Bar's days at 6700
Burnet Road.
Hi, my name is Tim Harvey.
We've been coming to Yard Bar since
2019.
It's where I first took my rocket as
I rescued him.
He came from a kill shelter
going out in Bastrop and
from a
skittish dog to the most friendly
dog I've ever known of I've owned.
So I'd say, yeah, this little
community we have here it actually
helped me raise my dog to be who he
is today.
So yeah, friendship and family here
has been definitely up there, the
number one.
Hi, my name is Alisa and
my dog's name is brisket.
Wiki, Alisa Wiki.
It's just so fun to see him open up
because when we first brought him,
he was just hiding under the tables
the whole time and he's just
blossomed. It's so cliche to
say, but he really has.
He's just, he owns the park as far
as he's concerned.
And so it's just been really lovely
to see his personality come out
through all of the interactions here
too.
Have a great week!
That audio postcard feature sound
from KUT intern Valeria
Cruz Butron will have a link
to her story in today's
podcast, Show Notes.
Yael Ouzaloo started doodling
as a way to process grief,
and now she continues the practice
as a creative outlet.
For the KUT KUTX Studio
podcast, this is my thing.
Ouzalu told host Mike Lee that
calling it doodaling and not
art takes the pressure off and
keeps it fun.
Everyone who does something creative
does does the thing that kind of
speaks to them and there's
I guess there's no real knowing why
Some people love
pen and paper and some people love
getting their hands on ceramics Some
folks like glass blowing just kind
of what works for you
And I think for me, it's accessible.
Like you don't need major equipment.
You don't even need
the notebooks that I use.
You can just pick up paper that
you've got in your copy paper,
right? You can pick up pens
that you got.
So I think it
was just, it was accessible.
Every sense.
This is a hobby you can get into
completely for free if you just
boost some stuff from the office of
like, exactly, exactly.
Yeah, if you've got your favorite
pens and stuff. And it's funny how
many people I've spoken to
who really have a love
of pens and
has their favorite pen that they
have to write with or different
color ink, you know, I only write
with blue ink or I only with black
ink or whatever it is.
I mean, I can refer you to the
fountain pen episode of this show.
If you wanna...
You guys
more about that.
It's really interesting to me how
many people have a love for pens
and paper and things like that.
So it just kind of flows
from that.
I have different kinds of markers.
I have the pasta markers which
are acrylic paint.
They're really fun to use.
They are very vivid.
I have Sharpie pens and
I have a bag full of different
pens that I like to use my favorite
Are the microns...
I am trying to learn the lesson of
letting it go, seeing how
the process unfolds.
And if it's
not perfect, it's now perfect.
And if doesn't turn out exactly how
I anticipated, well that's okay
because it turned out the way it was
meant to be.
So when I started, I was looking at
a picture
of the landing into
the ocean, but at this point in
time, I just have the picture in my
head and I just interpret what
I think it looks.
I don't know why there's always this
need to become perfect at
something, right?
I think that the
journey is just as valuable in
learning about it and
doing it in a way that makes you
feel happy and satisfied.
But I think ultimately you have to
think about what your goal is in
this, right. And my goal in doing
this was to
find a way to deal with the
grief that I was feeling, find a
way to deal with what was happening.
You know, in the world and
find a way to process all of this.
My goal was not to create the next
beautiful piece of art, right?
My goal is not to become perfect
at watercolors or
anything like that.
It was to find an
outlet. And I think that
that's just as worthy.
Perfection's boring, anyway.
When I was doing this,
I accidentally colored in
here, in this square.
And in my day job, I'd be like,
oh, damn, I messed that up.
Now I'm like, all right, whatever.
This just kind of gives me
permission to take
it wherever it goes and
to incorporate the mistakes into the
design and
be OK with it.
It's what Bob Ross calls a happy
accident. Exactly.
Exactly.
I remember years ago, I started, I
went to a couple yoga classes and I
did like the intro to yoga lessons
and all of this and I was, and I, I
mean, this is my competitiveness.
I got out, I was like, I want to be
so good at, I wanna be the best at
yoga that I can ever be.
Years later, it was like I think I
missed the point.
Were you trying to win the yoga
class? Yes, I was trying to win the
Yoga class.
And I'm like, this is real.
And I was like, oh, I'm so good at
like I'm still good at warrior pose,
but I'm really bad at downward talk.
I need to do better at some
salutations. I'm why am I doing
this to myself?
I have a little inside knowledge
here. My wife is a yoga instructor
and she's never returned from a
class and told me who won.
Right?
So, so I know
I'm like that. So I think that
this becomes a vehicle
to not be that, you know,
like I, I have had
highly stressful, very deadline
oriented types of jobs.
And so I'm trying to
create a space that is not
that.
So
That is Mike Lee, host of
the This Is My Thing podcast,
talking about doodling with
Yael Ouzalu.
That conversation is only available
on the podcast version, so
just a little special treat for you
here on this first day of June.
This Is my Thing has a new episode
out tomorrow that talks about the
calming effects one veteran feels
when he crochets.
We'll have a link to the podcast in
our show notes.
That is it for us today
here on Austin Signal.
And as always, if you're looking to
find more from us or catch up on
past episodes, you can do that
at kut.org
slash Signal.
Rayna Sevilla is our technical
director, Alexandra Hart is
our producer, and Kristen Cabrera
is our managing producer.
I'm your host, Jerry Quijano.
Thank you for spending the first day
of June here with Austin
Signal. We will be back at the
same time tomorrow.
We will talk to you then.
Have a fantastic day.