Austin ISD can now run its special education services on its own, after three years under state oversight. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath sent a letter on Tuesday to AISD Superintendent Matias Segura saying he was removing the two monitors appointed by the state to oversee AISD's special education program.
The oversight began in 2023 when AISD trustees agreed for the district's special education services to undergo state monitoring after a TEA investigation found AISD was not complying with state mandates. The investigation also found a backlog of more than 600 special education evaluations that help determine if a student has a disability and create a plan to help them. The school district has 45 school days to complete an evaluation once a parent has given consent.
Additionally, the TEA had found 40 instances of the district not complying with special education requirements. The district agreed to the state oversight in 2023 to avoid a state-appointed conservator managing the district's special education department.
Superintendent Matias Segura said the district has been working for almost three years along with TEA monitors to make sure the district complies with state laws.
"We were charged with completing 99 tasks, with virtually zero room for failure," he said.
In February of 2024, the district completed all 1,159 evaluations that were overdue from the 2022-2023 school year, but had to clear the remaining backlog. To comply with the TEA order, AISD had to have no overdue evaluations by December of 2025.
Segura said the other tasks included completing more than 10,000 evaluations to make sure students with disabilities receive personalized support; establishing district-wide standards for every campus to guarantee that students have access to the same resources; hosting more than 100 family engagement sessions to ensure families feel informed; and launching a new digital management platform to help report student's services.
Segura said 74 percent of students receiving special education services are in general education classrooms and that educators completed 120,000 hours of professional learning to support the district's efforts.
The 2023 oversight plan also required the district's board to make governance improvements, ensuring they spend at least 50% of their meeting discussing student outcomes.
In his letter, Morath recommended the district to continue working with a governance coach. He also said that while the district had addressed the state's concerns, he expects "focused, sustained efforts by the school board to prioritize excellent classroom instruction, ensure all students are learning, and eliminate board distractions that divert the focus of the superintendent and his administrative team from prioritizing student achievement."
"I do believe that the agency understands that here in Austin ISD we are moving the work, students are growing, and we've been able to do things that haven't been done before, and I think this is appreciated," Segura said.
Cherry Lee, interim assistant superintendent of special education programs, said AISD's commitment must continue.
"The milestone has given us a solid foundation, but our next chapter is about sustainability, maintaining momentum," she said. "We are shifting from stabilization to instructional impact."
