Education
BY ELLE BENT & CHLOE YOUNG
Austin ISD released from state oversight order Austin ISD has completed all requirements under an agreement with the Texas Education Agency after three years of work on improving special education services, meaning the district has been released from state oversight. What happened In September 2023, AISD o cials accepted a pro- posal from the TEA for a state-appointed monitor. This followed the TEA notifying AISD in March 2023 that it would seek to implement a conservatorship due to the ndings of an investigation of the district’s special education evaluations. District o cials highlighted the following accomplishments over the past three years on Feb. 17: • Completed over 10,000 evaluations and meetings • Grown the special education team by more
AISD prepares for potential rezoning
Brooke Elementary School site sold At a Jan. 29 meeting, the AISD board approved selling of the former Brooke Elementary site, which closed in 2020, to Trammell Crow Company and High Street. The details The development is slated to serve as a multifamily apartment complex with market-rate and a ordable units above ground- oor retail, an AISD spokesperson told Community Impact.
TEA approves 22 of 24 turnaround plans The Texas Education Agency has approved turnaround plans for 22 out of 24 low-performing Austin ISD campuses. The update The agency has requested additional details for the two remaining campuses— Widén Elementary and Winn Montessori. AISD anticipates receiving approval for these campuses. Next steps Next school year, the district plans to close seven of these campuses, restart ve campuses and implement school improve- ment plans at the remaining 12 schools. The district is aiming to have less than 15 F-rated campuses in 2026 and eliminate all F ratings by 2029.
Enrollment in Austin ISD Austin ISD has been working to eliminate thousands of vacant seats as its enrollment declines.
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The AISD board could vote to close more schools and rezone thousands of students this fall. What happened In early November, the district walked back on an initial proposal to close Palm, Bryker Woods and Maplewood elementaries. AISD changed course after community members shared concerns about some district leaders in charge of applying community feedback to the school consolidation plan. In late January, Superintendent Matias Segura said the district had concluded an internal inves- tigation, which determined “that the integrity of the process was maintained throughout the entire process.” Current situation The district now plans to resume work and
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Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura holds up a letter from the Texas Education Agency on Feb. 17.
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ELLE BENT COMMUNITY IMPACT
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than 250 specialized providers and evaluators, and provided 120,000 hours of professional learning • Launched a new digital management platform to organize reporting of each child’s service • Hosted over 100 family engagement sessions Current situation District o cials said during the news con- ference that “sustainability” and “maintaining momentum” is the goal as they move ahead.
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SOURCE: AUSTIN ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
Brooke Elementary School site
community engagement around potential bound- ary changes this spring before deciding in October whether to rezone or close additional campuses in the 2027-28 school year, according to AISD information.
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