If the Austin Independent School District closes 13 schools as planned, what happens next could remove some of the most valuable public land nestled among residential neighborhoods across the city.
The Austin ISD board — made up of nine elected officials — meets Thursday for the first time since staff unveiled the school consolidation plan last Friday. AISD leaders said their proposal will better balance enrollment and save money in a district where almost half the local property taxes are redistributed across Texas under the state's school finance system.
Board members, also known as school trustees, will also face the outrage of parents and teachers planning to protest outside AISD headquarters, urging trustees to slow down before a vote on the plan scheduled for Nov. 20.
The 13 campuses slated for closure next year are Barrington, Becker, Bryker Woods, Dawson, Maplewood, Oak Springs, Palm, Ridgetop, Sunset Valley and Widén elementary schools — along with Bedichek and Martin middle schools and Winn Montessori.
Together, those campuses are worth almost $296 million and contain more than one million square feet of air-conditioned space, according to Travis County Central Appraisal District records analyzed by KUT News. Property values range from $62 million for Dawson Elementary in South Austin to $10.8 million for Widén Elementary in Southeast Austin.
AISD is facing a budget shortfall of $19.7 million this school year. The district said closing and merging schools would immediately save at least $20 million annually, mostly by laying off hundreds of employees in administrative and support roles. The closures would also cut utility bills by $300,000 each year. In the long term, the district said it would save another $3 million annually by removing old portable classrooms.
In total, the district predicts the consolidation plan would save $25.6 million. Almost half that amount would be spent on hiring staff at campuses with consecutive failing school ratings. The Texas Education Agency requires those campuses adopt so-called "turnaround plans" to boost their campus grade.
Outside Widén, parents and grandparents waiting in the pickup line Tuesday afternoon said they fear losing a school and a community anchor in Dove Springs, a neighborhood with lower average household wealth than much of the city.
"This school goes right with us on that family tree. Everybody can say, 'We all started here,'" said Dianne Porter, whose granddaughter is in the second grade. "I hope they don't close it down just to make some apartments or houses, because we don't need all that stuff here."
Under the district's proposal, most Widén students would move to Rodriguez Elementary, more than a mile away. Others would transfer to Houston Elementary, about 1.5 miles from the Widén campus.
Ahide Gutierrez, who has two daughters at Widén, said she wants the site preserved for community use.
"My biggest concern right now is — if this is moving forward — what's going to happen to this property? How is this property going to be reused to help the community?" she said. "I would love to see a Boys and Girls Club here or YMCA or something of the sort where the emphasis is community building."
Bond money complicates the issue
Three years ago, Austin voters overwhelmingly approved the largest school bond in district history: $2.4 billion to upgrade and repair every campus, paid for with local property tax revenue.
A KUT News analysis found campuses proposed for closure were expected to get more than $188 million from that 2022 bond. Most were to receive a few million dollars for things like HVAC improvements, security enhancements and classroom additions. But three schools on the closure list were to undergo far more sweeping and expensive renovations the district labeled "modernizations."
Barrington Elementary was on track to undergo a $38.9 million renovation. Oak Springs Elementary was expected to get $47.6 million. Martin Middle School was getting a $61.4 million upgrade. The district said the Martin building will close temporarily in the 2026-27 school year with students assigned to other campuses. But AISD intends to keep the Martin building and use it for a yet-to-be-determined purpose in the future.
District officials acknowledge some of the bond money has already been spent, but much of it could be redirected to campuses that will stay open. They have promised to develop a "clear system" for reallocating funds once the board finalizes the closure plan.
There's another complication. AISD's draft consolidation document said 2022 bond projects are already running "significantly over budget." The district blames rising construction costs and inflation, meaning even surviving schools may get fewer upgrades than voters were promised.
What happens next
Starting in January, AISD staff will evaluate each school on the closure list and decide whether to reuse, lease or sell the property. The district has taken each approach before.
Metz Elementary in East Austin was converted into school district offices. The historic Pease School downtown was leased to the United Way of Greater Austin, which now operates an early childhood education center there. The former Rosedale School near Northcross Drive is being sold to real estate developers.
District planners said they will weigh each campus's condition, market value and neighborhood needs before bringing recommendations to the board. Any sale or long-term lease would require trustee approval at a public meeting.
For parents like Porter, those assurances do little to calm fears that public land could slip away from public use.
"She was asking God, 'Please don't close it,'" Porter said of her granddaughter. "She did her own little prayers, so they won't close the school."
