Education
Development
BY CHLOE YOUNG
BY KAROLINE PFEIL
Austin ISD has proposed closing 13 campuses in the 2026-27 school year, seven of which have received three consecutive F ratings from the Texas Education Agency. On Oct. 3, AISD announced the school closure plans alongside new attendance boundaries impacting nearly all campuses, changes to programming at some campuses and transfer policy updates. The board of trustees are expected to vote on the final school consolidation plan and attendance boundaries at the Nov. 20 meeting. The sweeping changes come as AISD looks to address declining enrollment, lower a mounting budget shortfall and provide state- mandated intervention at 12 failing campuses. 13 Austin schools may close
Proposed sewage plant draws protest in Dripping Springs high nutrient pollution limits proposed. Nutrient limits refer to the upper amount of elements like phosphorus and nitrogen allowed in wastewater— if too much of these nutrients are present, it can potentially result in harmful algae blooms, he said. Other issues pointed out were related to land 150 12 PROPOSED MADELYNN ESTATES SUBDIVISION ONION CREEK
School closing
Where students will go Guerrero Thompson, Woolridge elementaries
What else?
Barrington Elementary
The district could close International High School, located at Northeast Early College High School, and offer it as a program housed at Navarro Early College High School. Additionally, AISD has recommended repurposing Odom, Pickle, Sánchez and Wooten elementaries to serve as Spanish dual language campuses, and repurposing Govalle Elementary to serve as a Montessori school. The district is expected to save $25.6 million through the proposed school consolidations—$20 million of which would come through reducing administrative and support staff at merging campuses. AISD may see $300,000 in immediate savings and reduce expenses by $3 million annually for facility operations.
Becker Elementary
Zilker Elementary
Some Dripping Springs residents are pushing back on a new wastewater plant put forward by Allied Development, as part of a proposed residen- tial development. The overview The wastewater facility, or sewage plant, would be constructed on the proposed Madelynn Estates subdivision, 1,500 feet away from Onion Creek and 2,500 feet from the Dripping Springs Waste- water Plant. The plant’s permitting has seen some protest due to concerns surrounding the discharge of treated wastewater into Onion Creek. At this stage in the permitting process, only a draft permit has been prepared—final approval by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is still pending. The details GEAA Technical Director Mike Clifford said that the permit request should be rejected due to
Covington, Paredes, Lively, Mendez middle schools Matthews, Brentwood elementaries
Bedichek Middle School
Bryker Woods Elementary
Dawson Elementary Galindo Elementary Maplewood Elementary Campbell Elementary Martin Middle School Kealing, Marshall, Lively middle schools Oak Springs Elementary Blackshear Elementary Palm Elementary Perez Elementary Ridgetop Elementary Reilly Elementary
PROPOSED WASTEWATER PLANT
EXISTING WASTEWATER PLANT
topography, which Clifford said made the property ill-suited for a wastewater treatment facility. Clif- ford also pointed out the availability of an existing Dripping Springs wastewater treatment facility nearby the newly proposed one. A TCEQ representative said that, at the time of technical review, there was no existing wastewater collection system that Allied Development could tie into. Although Clifford pointed out that the Dripping Springs Wastewater Plant had already existed for many years at that time, the TCEQ representative stated that there was not a pipe system to the plant that could be accessed. In response to concerns about density of a
N
future residential development on the property, a representative with Allied Development at the meeting stated that plans laid out in the permit application illustrated a “worst-case scenario,” in which 45,000 gallons of wastewater a day would be discharged. The development would include 113 homes over 52 acres, according to city documents. What’s next? The TCEQ will respond to public comments.
Cunningham, Boone elementaries Rodriguez, Houston elementaries
Sunset Valley Elementary
Widén Elementary
Pecan Springs, Andrews, Hart elementaries
Winn Montessori
SOURCE: AUSTIN ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
BRODIE LANE 4970 W Hwy 290 (512) 366-8260 BEE CAVE 13015 Shops Pkwy (512) 263-9981
SOUTHPARK MEADOWS 9900 S I-35 Frontage Rd (512) 280-7400
DRIPPING SPRINGS 166 Hargraves (512) 432-0186
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