A dozen schools in the Austin Independent School District will need to close or make significant changes after receiving three consecutive failing grades from the state.
The Texas Education Agency ratings were released last month. Austin ISD saw some improvements from last year, but roughly one third of the district’s 116 campuses still had unacceptable ratings.
In a letter sent to Austin ISD officials, the TEA said dozens of schools will need to submit plans to the state detailing how they will improve student outcomes. Twelve schools are required to submit plans by mid-November and implement them as soon as they are approved. Those plans could include major staffing changes and an infusion of new programs.
The 12 schools are Winn Montessori School, Barrington, Dawson, Linder, Oak Springs, Pecan Springs, Sanchez, Widen and Wooldridge elementary schools and Bedichek, Martin and Paredes middle schools.
“The data reflects that the district’s current approach is not working, and urgent transformational change is necessary to improve outcomes for all Austin ISD students,” TEA Commissioner Mike Morath said in the letter.
Three Austin ISD schools — Webb, Dobie and Burnet — are already on improvement plans after receiving a fourth consecutive "F" from the state. Those plans cost the district $1.7 million per campus. If the schools receive another failing grade next year, the entire district could be taken over by the state.
In a letter to parents, Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura said the district could choose to close some of the 12 schools the TEA said need to go on improvement plans or turn them over to a charter operator. The district is already in the process of deciding which schools need to be closed or consolidated to fix its nearly $20 million budget deficit.
The TEA ratings were not initially factored into Austin ISD’s rubric for which schools should close. But Segura said the new state requirements are changing that.
“I want to be clear that these are by no means the only schools that are being considered in the process," he said in the letter, "we just must begin having these conversations with these schools first."
Public meetings will be held Tuesday and Wednesday from 6-8 p.m. to discuss options.
The district will release its plan for which schools will close or be consolidated on Oct. 9.
