AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin ISD Board of Trustees is set to vote Thursday night on the district’s updated school consolidation plan.
According to the current plan, 10 campuses would close ahead of the 2026-2027 school year and nearly 4,000 students would be sent to different schools in order to address a $19.7 million budget shortfall.
After the final vote, the district’s turnaround plan must then be sent to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for final review.
AISD schools set to close
Currently, the schools set to close are Becker, Barrington, Dawson, Oak Springs, Ridgetop, Sunset Valley and Widén elementary schools, along with Winn Montessori and Bedichek and Martin middle schools.
International high schools are set to shut down, as well.
Updates to campus boundaries and dual-language programs
Along with campus closures, the final draft also includes school boundary changes and updates to the future of dual language programs.
The current plan would make it so that students at Sanchez, Pickle and Wooten elementary schools would be able to learn English and Spanish at their respective campuses. The dual-language program would also be available to students who currently attend Becker, Sunset Valley, Ridgetop and Reilly Elementary schools. Other dual-language programs would also be impacted.
Some boundary updates would affect where some students will attend school starting next year. Changes include:
- Students attending Wooldridge Elementary School would attend Pardon Elementary School instead of Guerrero-Thompson Elementary School
- Students at Sunset Valley Elementary School would shift to attend Boone Elementary School
- Most Bedichek Middle School students would be sent to Mendez Middle School
- High school students living in the Barton View neighborhood would receive education at Austin High School
Additional boundary changes can be seen here and the full version of the district’s plan can be found here.
Background on AISD’s consolidation plan
Back in August, the district announced the start of the consolidation process, introduced in part to increase school capacity levels from 76% to 85%.
“We just need to figure out how to create healthy, vibrant schools in Austin ISD with a balanced student population that can actually be supported for years to come,” AISD Superintendent Matias Segura said at the time.
On Oct. 31, the district released an updated plan with new boundary changes impacting elementary, middle and high school campuses. This version of the draft matched the initial plan, which named 13 schools set to close.
Then on Nov. 4, the district removed three campuses from the closure list: Bryker Woods Elementary School, Palm Elementary School and Maplewood Elementary School. The vote on these schools has been pushed back after concerns had arisen regarding individuals involved in the feedback process.
The district has since received pushback from some parents following the release of the plan and its various drafts.
Protests have been held outside schools including Garza Independence High School, Bryker Woods Elementary School and Pease Elementary School, to name a few.
“This school literally saves lives,” one demonstrator said at Garza Independence High School in mid-November. “Like, the training, the therapy training that all the teachers get helps these students with severe, you know, medical, mental health issues, being unhoused. It’s just the shining star of AISD.”
In the current plan, the district made a suggestion to shift students to Martin Middle school.
Rally outside AISD Board Meeting
On Thursday night, students and community members from Ridgetop Elementary rallied outside of AISD ahead of the board meeting.
Ridgetop is one of three closures not related to a turnaround plan. The school currently has a “B” accountability rating from the TEA. The district plans to move their dual language program, which many people attend the school for.
“We specifically chose our school because of the program,” said Karla Lopez, a Ridgetop parent. “We travel 30 miles every day just to get to our school because we have found a home in Ridgetop.”
Lopez said at first, the district told Ridgetop community members that they would all be moving together. But she said this Friday, that changed suddenly, so now they’re worried about getting separated.
“To have that bait and switch happen to us, that’s what’s made us want to speak up and make sure that you know, they’re aware of how our community feels about the last-minute plan,” Lopez said.
During the meeting, a third-grader from Ridgetop ES spoke during public testimony to the board members, urging them not to close his school.
“You tell us to be leaders and to speak up, so I am speaking up today,” said a Ridgetop ES third-grader. “I don’t think kids should be split from each other. We want to stay together. All kids matter the same. Adults should not pick and choose between schools.”