Austin ISD Plans To Close 12 Schools In Reorganization Effort

AUSTIN, TX — Austin ISD officials have outlined plans to close a dozen schools amid dwindling student enrollment, officials said.

The elementary and middle schools slated for closure are: Brooke, Dawson, Joslin, Sims, Maplewood, Metz, Palm, Pease, Pecan Springs and Ridgetop elementaries, along with Webb Middle School and Sadler Means Young Women’s Leadership Academy. Under the district's plan, the schools will be shuttered before being consolidated with other schools, the district superintendent wrote in a letter to the Austin ISD community.

"Change is hard," Austin ISD Superintendent Paul Cruz wrote. "It can be scary — but it can also make us stronger. We all care about the future of our students, and we’re willing to step up to help re-imagine and reinvent our school district. The changes we make will be worth the effort."

Some community concern has been raised given that all but three of the schools slated to be closed comprise low-income students. As offset, the district's plans call for substantive investment in programs tailored for under-served communities, officials said.

"We initiated the School Changes Process because we know we must fundamentally change the way we deliver education to our students, how we train and engage with our staff, and how we make decisions around equity to ensure access and opportunity for all students in our district," Cruz wrote. "We must learn from our past decisions that created inequity and face these hard truths as we make changes."

However, Cruz stressed the proposals outlined aren't yet finalized: "The draft School Changes scenarios have been carefully analyzed and developed; however, they are not final. Each one is a starting point for conversation. We want to know what you think about the draft School Changes scenarios and what you believe is missing. We want you to show up at our meetings and participate in our online discussions."

The proposed draft scenarios include the following:

District-wide School Changes: Ideas that will affect how the district functions as a whole, or large parts of our mission.

• Innovation of Our Teacher Recruitment and Retention Practices
• Extension of the School Day
• Changes to the Way We Fund Schools to Focus on Student Needs
• Improvements to Special Education Program Delivery
• Increased Mental Health Services and Programs
• Expansion of Cultural Competency and Responsive Training, Multicultural Studies and Social Justice Curriculum
• Adjustments to Feeder Patterns to Support Academic Programs

Site-Based/Programmatic School Changes: Ideas that will affect specific campuses, vertical teams or programs.

• New or Enhanced Academic Programs from Pre-K3 to 12th grade, Including Technology, Social Justice, Fine Arts, Gaming, Dual-Language and Montessori
• Facility Repurposing Throughout Austin ISD
• Repurposing Campus/Sites for Community Benefit
• Facility Improvements and Modernizations to Improve Academic Environment

"Schools are the heart of a community, where people learn, play, meet, share ideas and access resources," Cruz wrote. "As we look to our community and leaders from each area of our district, we have one thing in common: We all want the best for our students."

Austin Mayor Steve Adler reacted to the news, noting the complexity of the district's outlined goals: "AISD has the difficult job of dismantling inequities, creating greater efficiencies, and reversing historical challenges to focus on academic impact to best serve students and our community," the mayor said in a prepared statement. "Preserving what is special about Austin requires us to direct change rather than seek to avoid change. The community can now work to build on successful programs, retain staff, address generations of inequality, and consider re-purposing facilities for optimal community benefit."

The draft School Changes scenarios can be found by clicking here. A list of community meetings and an online portal for community feedback will be posted Sept. 9, the superintendent said. The Guiding Principles that trustees adopted to guide the School Changes Process can be found at www.austinisd.org/schoolchanges/guiding-principles.

"This is a massive effort for any organization, and for one like ours with 82 elementary schools, 18 middle schools and 17 high schools, it has been intense," Cruz said. "We have been working around the clock since this spring to gather years of data, collect input and assess our needs with an eye toward future access and opportunity for our students."

The Vice Chair of Education Nikki Graham at the Austin Chamber of Commerce released a prepared statement on the proposed school closures while expressing support for the district's plans.

"For decades, the Austin Chamber has been a strong, purposeful partner of the Austin Independent School District (AISD). In 2008 we urged AISD, because it was the largest landowner in Austin, to create its first master facility plan. The purpose of this was to align its real estate footprint with student enrollment and free-up funds to further improve student learning. In 2012, we supported the Austin school board as it adopted a framework for a master facility plan and commended the school board when they finalized in 2016. We were proud to support and help finance the campaign which resulted in a record $1 billion taxpayer investment to enact the first stage of the master facility plan.

"We continue to be supportive of Superintendent Cruz and the trustees as they begin making challenging decisions over the next several months. We believe that these decisions will end AISD’s structural deficit, improve efficiency of taxpayer investment, and ensure AISD can put more resources into quality programming to prepare all students for the future.

"AISD is in a position of strength and currently is experiencing record levels of college/career readiness and high school graduation. Austin has the greatest performance among American urban school districts but there is still work to be done. Our rapidly evolving economy requires AISD to move quickly to free up resources to ensure all students district-wide are learning and being prepared for the workforce of the future. We believe that AISD making these tough decisions will help do exactly that."

Other local officials weighed in after the news on the planned closures broke. Rep. Sheryl Cole, who represents populations zoned to attend at least 8 of the schools facing closure, expressed concerns about the disproportionate number of schools slated for closure located East Austin — a historically marginalized part of the city. Cole is a former PTA President and AISD Bond Tri-Chair.

"I understand the need to make financially prudent decisions throughout the district in the face of negative growth," Cole said. "But in doing so, we must make sure we are educating all of our children, regardless of race, and regardless of zip code. This plan does not mirror the task force recommendations, and the community deserves to know why a disproportionate number of East Austin residents are affected. I look forward to the robust community engagement that AISD must take up - and I am sure that it will include heavy input from east of I-35."

Cole suggested the plan was being carried out hastily: "I am not damning every closure or the necessity of boundary changes, especially given what we know of the financial constraints facing AISD. However, to suggest such drastic changes, before we see the positive results brought by HB 3, and against the recommendations of the task force, is problematic. We cannot just give lip service to equity, we need to actively work to put to rest the systemic inequalities that divide Austin along I-35. True equity requires more than words, it requires measurable change — we must be willing do what it takes now, and for generations to come."

Susan Moffat and Allen Weeks, public school champions and long-term stewards of education, issued a joint statement echoing similar concerns based on historical context as it relates to Easte Austin: "Unfortunately, the draft plan released this week ignores our history. It surrenders our communities to charter schools and gentrification. It responds to declining enrollments in a manner that is likely to further accelerate depopulation of the district. And once again, it asks East Austin schools to absorb the biggest impact of budget shortfalls, with not one school west of Mo-Pac negatively affected. But there is still time to fix it.

"The AISD Board will make the final call on these proposals in November. Until then, we urge the district and community members to hold serious discussions regarding these closure recommendations - with the strong participation of those who know the history of these communities and these schools, and what has actually worked to improve them.

"We need not repeat the mistakes of the past. Let’s listen to our communities, learn from what works and move forward together."

Deborah Trejo, urged board members to consider the rigors of state law as it relates to the education of children. She served as a member on the Budget Stabilization Task Force.

"The proposal includes a great deal about dual language and multilingual programs — and that is a positive thing," Trejo said. "However, the district needs to actively implement these programs with fidelity and in accordance with state law, which it is not currently doing across the board, especially at Title I schools. It is great to expand the offerings, but it must be done fairly, as these programs are critical for closing achievement gaps, particularly for students that enter the public school system while speaking Spanish at home.

"I also have particular concerns with the choice of schools to close and rezone - I believe that it is clear that this is not being done in an equitable way. It does not appear that equity was considered as a major component when deciding on which schools to close. It is critical that the district considers using attendance zones to break down the divide presented by I-35, rather than allowing that highway to continue to be an artificial barrier following the historical boundaries of segregation.

"It is a mixed bag. There are certainly aspects of this proposal that are beneficial to individual schools, and those are great additions. But I do not believe it will address district-wide inequality."