The Austin Independent School District still plans to close 13 schools before the 2026-27 school year as outlined in its new school consolidation proposal released Friday.
The district said it received more than 7,000 pieces of community feedback from several in-person and virtual community meetings held over the last month, including concerns from parents, teachers and staff.
But a $20 million budget deficit and the possibility of a state takeover remain. Which led officials to stick to much of their original proposal.
"It's hard because there are lots of emails, there are lots of voices, and it's really hard at this moment," Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura said. "But I love our students, and I love our staff, and we arrived at this draft plan through a process, and now the time is to really dive deep and see if we have it right."
The campuses on the list include 11 elementary schools — Barrington, Becker, Bryker Woods, Dawson, Maplewood, Oak Springs, Palm, Ridgetop, Sunset Valley, Widén and Winn Montessori — as well as Bedichek and Martin middle schools.
As a result, 98% of campuses will have their attendance boundaries redrawn, and several major programming changes are being considered.
What changed from the first proposal?
Segura said the district made updates to its transition plans and transfer policies in an effort to lessen disruptions to students and their families.
For example, through "grandfathering," or a "continuation transfer," students can stay at their current school even if the new school boundary map assigns them to a new school.
The same process applies to students involved in special programs, such as dual language and Montessori. If a program moves to a new school, students will be allowed to continue in the program at the new location.
"We made it really, really clear in our documents that if you are part of an existing program and that program moves, we are going to guarantee your placement if you want it at that new program," Segura said. "That wasn't clearly articulated in the previous draft because we weren't sure we [could] make it all work. We now know that we can."
Segura said sibling and staff transfers will also be prioritized by the district.
"We do not want to disrupt families [or] make it harder for families to engage with our schools ... what we're saying now is OK, we're just going to go ahead and approve them," he said. "So if you have a student who is a third grader and is locked into a school, what we're automatically going to say is your sibling will also be able to be accepted — transfer approved immediately."
Transfers will also be immediately approved, he said, for rising sixth and ninth graders to attend the middle schools and high schools they had been assigned to previously.
Also reflected in the district's new consolidation plan is an increase of more than half a million dollars in transportation costs each year as a result of the updated transfer policies.
More changes could come before final approval
Segura said the district will continue to accept community impact feedback, and update or modify things before the board finalizes the plan on Nov. 20.
For example, the new plan notes the district is still considering what the new school boundaries will be and where the Montessori program will end up. The district could also change the overall timeline for school consolidations.
"Many of the changes — if not the vast majority of the changes in this document — are a direct reflection of the comments that we receive along the way," Segura said.
