Editor’s Note: The video at the top of this story covers parents’ push to save Maplewood Elementary, which is at risk of closing.
AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin Independent School District will release a new draft plan to close schools and redraw school boundaries on Friday, according to Superintendent Matias Segura.
During a community meeting for east Austin parents on Tuesday, Segura said the updated consolidation plan would address concerns over who would have the option to stay at their current zoned school next school year.
The plan currently gives families the option to keep their student at their current campus until they complete the grades offered at the school — even if rezoned.
Segura said the expected changes would address parents’ concerns that older siblings and younger siblings might have to go to different schools.
The superintendent also hinted at changes in the plan addressing whether transfer students can stay at their current school with their classmates and transportation for students to the new proposed Spanish dual-language programs at Pickle, Wooten, Odom and Sanchez Elementary schools.
The school board is expected to meet on Wednesday for a work session to discuss the plan further.
‘We don’t see the vision’
During the meeting at Calvary Bible Church, several parents raised concerns about the lack of details on what programs will be available at the newly zoned schools.
Under the current plan, the district proposes reassigning most Northeast Early College High School students who live north of 183 and east of I-35 to LBJ Early College High School.
The district also proposes moving McCallum High neighborhood students living east of I-35 to Northeast ECHS, and those living south of MLK to Eastside Early College High School.
“My child that speaks Spanish fluently and Mandarin, who is in advanced math and all these other classes — is there going to be an offering? Just saying we have good schools everywhere — are those classes offered on the eastside?” one parent asked.
Segura told parents the district is analyzing what programs the district can begin offering next year ahead of the boundary changes and said more information should be available to parents in the next three weeks.
“Once we have aligned feeder patterns, we as a community get to select what programs. We can change our programs,” Segura said.
Parents also expressed concern about potential harm to east Austin’s neighborhood schools, like Govalle Elementary School and Oak Springs Elementary School.
The current plan would close Oak Springs Elementary and would repurpose Govalle Elementary into a non-zoned Montessori school. Govalle students would be able to apply for the new Montessori program to stay at the campus — but otherwise the students will be reassigned to Ortega Elementary and Zavala Elementary.
“We weren’t told program changes at this scale were on the table at all,” Govalle Elementary School Counselor Deja Gamble said.
‘No perfect solution’
During the meeting, the superintendent talked about the state and federal pressures that led to the district’s decision to consolidate schools, including rising costs and uncertainty around state and federal education funding.
Austin ISD is navigating a nearly $20 million deficit and working to improve state accountability scores at more than a dozen of its campuses.
The district risks the state appointing a board of managers, and potentially a new superintendent, if it can’t improve state accountability ratings at Dobie, Burnet and Webb Middle Schools this year.
Superintendent Segura has hinted the district could also face more severe state intervention if it the administration doesn’t improve financially.
“There is no perfect solution. There just isn’t. I take full responsibility for the inaction of Austin ISD over multiple decades,” Segura said.
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