AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin Independent School District trustees are set to vote Thursday to make significant changes to leadership at three middle schools that have received multiple failing state accountability scores since 2019.
The district has been meeting with parents for months to discuss the details of the turnaround plans for Burnet Middle, Webb Middle and Dobie Middle School, which must be submitted to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) by the end of the month.
Austin ISD risks state intervention, similar to Houston Independent School District, if it does not take action. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath replaced Houston ISD’s school board in 2023 with a state-appointed board of managers after Wheatley High School earned its seventh consecutive unacceptable accountability rating. In June, Morath extended the board of managers' authority for another two years.
READ: Texas sends enforcement letter to Houston school district, beginning takeoverAustin ISD staff is set to recommend a “district-managed restart” to the school board, according to its board posting, which would require changes to staff and leadership, including replacing school leadership and a significant portion of the instructional staff.
The district has already started posting about new positions for "transformative teachers" needed at Dobie, Burnet, and Webb.
The data the district provided shows 84 percent of Dobie’s teaching staff won’t return to campus in August. At Burnet, 61 percent of teachers are expected to return and 41 percent at Webb.
The administration is also recommending a contingency plan to the board, which would allow the district to review student performance in reading and math at the three schools midway through the upcoming school year and bring in an external partner to operate campuses that are not meeting the goals outlined in the turnaround plans.
READ: School closures on the horizon for Austin ISDAccording to the district’s presentation, district leaders will define growth based on campus observations of teacher support, attendance, discipline, and parent behavior, as well as through assessments.
Dobie, Webb and Burnet have a shorter timeline to deliver a turnaround plan to the TEA; according to district officials, more than a dozen other campuses will also require turnaround plans based on multiple unacceptable state accountability scores.
Turnaround and consolidate
At the same time that district leaders work to improve the academic performance at the middle schools, they will also have to determine which of their schools to close to reduce the district’s $100 million-plus budget shortfall.
The school district currently has more than 20,000 unfilled seats across its 116 campuses, according to district officials. The district has not released a preliminary list of schools that are at risk of closure.
District officials said it will determine which campuses to close based on a “transparency evaluation tool,” which will consider enrollment, capacity, programming, accountability ratings, and facility conditions.
The decisions for closure are being made as facility improvements, funded by bond dollars, are underway at multiple campuses.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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