Airline Perks

Southwest Airlines makes deal with City of Austin to hire 2,000+ locals

Southwest will get a $2,750 incentive for each Austinite it hires over the next five years.

Photo courtesy of KVUE

Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Austin Mayor Kirk Watson held a press conference Friday to discuss a new deal with Southwest Airlines and its expected impact on the city.

The deal, approved Thursday by the Austin City Council, awards Southwest $2,750 for each new Austin-based hire over the next five years. In exchange, the airline plans to add 2,000 high-paying jobs with an average salary of $180,000 and invest in local workforce initiatives, including the city’s new Austin Infrastructure Academy.

Officials say the deal will strengthen Southwest’s presence at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, where the carrier already handles more than 40 percent of all passenger traffic.

The partnership is expected to bring in nearly $20 million in local tax revenue, and the incentive program will last for five years and pay Southwest up to $5.5 million.

Mayor Watson said the agreement will not only create new jobs in Austin but will improve the overall experience at AUS.

“We’re building lives and careers at the same time we’re building tarmacs and terminals,” Watson said. “Southwest is choosing Austin because our people, our workforce, and our future make us a smart investment. This deal creates thousands of good-paying jobs, improves the passenger experience, and ensures the benefits flow directly to Austin workers, families, and tourists. This agreement is proof that Austin means business and cares about the success of its people.”

Read the full story at KVUE.com.

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Outdoor Learning

53 Austin schools receive city funding for sustainability projects

Photo by Angèle Kamp on Unsplash

Kids across Austin will learn about gardening, taking care of trees, riding bikes, and more.

A sustainability-focused city office, Austin Climate Action and Resilience, has announced funding to 53 local schools for projects that "advance climate action," according to a city newsletter. The funding totals $136,000, which will be split across 65 projects via the Bright Green Future Grants Program.

The newsletter explains that more than half of the recipient schools have a high percentage of students from low-income families and qualify for Title 1 funding. Almost all schools had projects accepted, and every Austin City Council District is represented among them; 55 schools submitted 140 applications. Grants in this program cap at $3,000.

“When students have the chance to learn sustainability by doing, the impact lasts far beyond the classroom,” said Austin Climate Action and Resilience director Zach Baumer in the newsletter. “These small but powerful projects show what’s possible — and give us real optimism for the future.”

Austin Climate Action and Resilience provided a list of projects awarded grants:

Outdoor classrooms: Govalle, Mills, and Northwest Elementary Schools, Lamar Middle School, Eastside and Bowie High Schools, and the St. Francis School.
Bicycle clubs: Blackshear, Blanton, Guerrero-Thompson, Harris, Maplewood, Oak Springs, Odom, Ortega, Perez, Purple Sage, Reilly, Russel Lee, Sanchez, Summit, and Winn Montessori Elementary Schools, Gus Garcia Young Men’s Leadership Academy, and Kealing Middle School.
Rain garden and water conservation projects: Boone, Langford, Perez, Reilly, Rodriguez, Russel Lee, St. Elmo, Walnut Creek, and Zilker Elementary Schools, Kealing Middle School, Magnolia Montessori for All, and the Kirby Hall School.
School gardens: Campbell, Nan Clayton, Pickle, Sanchez, and Smith Elementary Schools, Dailey Middle School, UT Child Development Center, Capitol Complex Child Development Center, Brodie Child Development Center, Growing Imaginations Learning Center, Academia Preescolar, and the Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program.
Recycling and composting programs: Students at Odom, Ortega, and Winn Montessori Elementary Schools, Ashley’s Playhouse, Austin International School, Harmony Public School, and Austin ISD Food Services.
Planting and caring for trees: Barron, T.A. Brown, Govalle, Mathews, and Norman-Sims Elementary Schools, Burnet Middle School, Austin Micro School, and Angels Learning Center.
Aquaponics garden and solar-powered bird feeders: Summit Christian Academy.

“Our school is grateful to receive a Bright Green Future Grant, which will allow our students to learn about environmental care through regenerative agricultural practices,” said Burnet Middle School educator Calvin Clary. “We’re looking forward to putting this money to the best and highest use.”

Formerly the Office of Sustainability, Austin Climate Action and Resilience founded the program in 2012 and funds it through collaboration with other city departments. They include the office itself and its Urban Forestry Team, plus Austin Resource Recovery, Austin Transportation and Public Works, Austin Water, and Austin Watershed Protection.

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