The Austin Independent School District has released a draft highlighting 40 potential scenarios for major changes across the district. Within the plan is the recommended closure of a dozen campuses: ten elementary schools, Webb Middle School, and the Bertha Sadler Means Young Women’s Leadership Academy.
#AISDProud to propose draft scenarios for our School Changes process. We are confident they will transform the way we deliver public education in Austin. Now is the time for more community collaboration. Tell us: Are we being bold enough? Read more here https://t.co/JEC4EZupMi
— Austin ISD (@AustinISD) September 5, 2019
The list of school closures reads as follows:
- Brooke Elementary
- Joslin Elementary
- Dawson Elementary
- Maplewood Elementary
- Metz Elementary
- Palm Elementary
- Pease Elementary
- Pecan Springs Elementary
- Ridgetop Elementary
- Sims Elementary
- Webb Middle School
- Bertha Sadler Means Young Women’s Leadership Academy
The bulk of these campus populations are comprised of low-income and minority students, according to the district. AISD’s plan is to better integrate the students into learning environments that provide more equitable opportunities.
“It’s time to focus on equity in our academic programs, which is why we’re doing these school changes,” said AISD board President Geronimo Rodriguez.
The closures will undoubtedly have a ripple effect on student demographics, as well as school boundaries.
The move comes amid ever-shrinking enrollment, which has trended downward for the past six years, as well as a budget that has seen consecutive years of shortfalls. A report presented to the school board earlier this year projected that, within the next ten years, AISD could see a 9.2-percent drop in enrollment, falling by 7200 students to around 73,000 overall. Charter schools continue to be one of the biggest thorns in the side of the district due to the thousands of students who have left AISD for those campuses. The biggest enrollment decline is expected to be on the middle school level.
Another proposal within the draft includes a larger focus on AISD employee housing due to recent reports showing hundreds of teachers leaving the district each year in search of positions with better pay and a more affordable cost of living and better.
The list of campus closures is not set in stone and is still subject to revision. The school board will be presented with the draft on Monday, September 9. A full vote is planned for October.
