AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Independent School District parents rallied outside the Texas Education Agency on Tuesday, demanding more time to improve outcomes at schools with repeated failing accountability ratings.
Three of the district’s middle schools, Dobie, Burnet and Webb, are set to receive their third consecutive failing accountability score when the 2024 state ratings are released, according to Austin ISD officials. A lawsuit filed by several school districts is currently preventing the TEA from releasing any state ratings from that year to the public.
District leaders warned in April that the Texas Education Commissioner could take “serious actions” against the district if it allowed a school to fail for five consecutive years, including replacing the elected school board with a state-appointed Board of Managers to oversee the entire district.
The district has been working to create turnaround plans for its campuses to prevent state intervention. But in a letter hand-delivered to TEA leaders on Tuesday, parents with ATX United for Public Schools criticized the district’s current plans to improve campuses as “disruptive.” The group requested more time to develop restructuring plans for those schools.
The plans must be submitted to the TEA for approval by June 30. According to the district, the school board will hold a public hearing and vote on the turnaround plans on June 26.
“We’re aware of the letter delivered to the Texas Education Agency by Austin ISD parents. While this process has been quick, we have taken the time to hear from affected families and staff to ensure their voices are reflected in the turnaround plans within the TEA guidelines,” Austin ISD officials said in a statement to KXAN.
TEA has not responded to KXAN’s request for comment. We will update this if a statement is received.
Turnaround plans
Over the last several weeks, Austin ISD leaders and parents have met repeatedly to discuss options for avoiding increased state intervention, including, at one point, the possibility of school closures.
Key Dates:
- June 12: Austin ISD will present draft turnaround plans for Dobie, Webb, and Burnet middle Schools to the school board during an information session
- June 26: The Austin ISD Board of Trustees will host a public hearing before voting on the turnaround plans for Dobie, Burnet and Webb middle schools
- June 30: Austin ISD must submit its draft turnaround plans to the Texas Education Agency
The district is now proposing a “district-managed restart plan” for the schools next year. The plan has drawn criticism from employees and parents, as some staff members have been informed that they may not qualify, under the new plans, to keep their current jobs at those schools.
“Austin ISD has created a plan that includes restarting schools from scratch, firing administrators and teachers, and closing schools, thereby denying our children quality education, and we disagree with that plan,” the letter stated.
District officials said a “school restart” would require the district to evaluate current employees to determine “if these schools are the best place for them.” The district stated that not all staff at Dobie, Webb and Burnet would be able to remain at their current campuses.
“Given the urgency of this situation, we must make difficult decisions to ensure these schools have enough highly experienced and effective educators to support rapid student growth,” the district stated on its website.
District officials said that, in that case, they would support the educators in finding other positions within the district.
Consolidation
As the district considers how to address the failing state accountability scores of some of its campuses, it is also exploring a larger plan to consolidate some of its schools to reduce its $100 million deficit — a shortfall that voters attempted to alleviate by approving a tax rate increase during the November 2024 election.
District officials said top leaders cut $63 million from the central office operations over the last year, including positions and service contracts.
“We’re running out of options that don’t significantly impact our students and schools,” district officials said in a statement posted to its website.
District officials reported that the number of students enrolled in the district has declined, resulting in approximately 25,000 empty seats across its 116 campuses.
The process of consolidations would include school closures, boundary changes, evaluating transfer policies, and repurposing facilities, according to the district.
The district has not yet released a list of schools that may be facing closure, but it plans to release a specific proposal in fall 2025. The district noted that the changes would not be implemented until the 2026-27 school year.
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