Austin ISD revises consolidation plan that could close 10 schools

AUSTIN, Texas – Austin ISD is once again revising its plan that could close nearly a dozen schools.

About 60 parents signed up to speak on Thursday at a board meeting on the school boundary and consolidation changes.

Updated Austin ISD consolidation plan

What they’re saying:

On Thursday, the district presented its updated consolidation plan to the board. While some schools have been taken off the closure list, for now, others, like Garza High School, are now at the center of community concern.

AISD is working to address 25,000 empty classroom seats, a $20 million budget shortfall, and low performance at some campuses.

“I can tell that if we don’t do these now, all it’s going to do is make those decisions and those impacts introduce greater risks to our system,” said Matias Segura, Superintendent, Austin ISD.

Bryker Woods, Maplewood, and Palm Elementary schools have been taken off the list of potential closures next fall.

In a letter to families, AISD Superintendent Matias Segura said the district is adjusting its timeline, but 10 campuses could still close as part of the turnaround plan.

“When I think about the magnitude of this decision, it was important to me when I went to our trustees and when I got to our community and I made a recommendation that I believe in every aspect of how we got here, and I know that is, and I feel that way for the 10 consolidations that we are proposing,” said Segura.

Under the latest draft plan, AISD is considering moving Garza Independence High School to the Martin Middle School campus and expanding it to serve grades 6 through 12.

“People are shocked. We didn’t even know until actually Monday because we, as a neighborhood, didn’t get any notice like from our neighborhood association. One of the teachers reached out to us through the neighborhood association and just said, hey, you guys, did you know that this happened to Garza?” said the concerned community member, Kim Nguyen.

Garza sits in east Austin’s historic Davis Thompson neighborhood.

Kim Nguyen says the school is a vital part of the community.

“The fact that this is happening to a school that has been exemplary and at-risk kids in their education and then moving them. In less than a year and then expanding that program and expecting it to thrive is absolutely ridiculous,” said Nguyen.

Another concern is Garza’s agricultural program, which runs a garden and farm on campus.

“I was very worried about all the animals that we have, all the gardens we have and just all the green space that we had at our school. It just wouldn’t feel the same. It wouldn’t be like the same type of school without where it is now,” said Garza student, Josh Moses.

A petition to save Garza is gaining support, with former students crediting the school for changing their lives.

“What they’re proposing has made me really anxious about how it can continue,” said Moses.

Josh Moses is a 12th grader at Garza. Since it’s his final year, he won’t have to relocate, but still worries about the future of the place that played a big role in his life.

“I plan to come back to Gaza regularly because it’s such a great place and I really don’t want to see it change because it helped me in so many ways,” said Moses. 

What’s next:

The district still plans to release more updated maps on Nov. 14.

Then, on Nov. 20, the board will hold a vote on the overall plan to meet a deadline required by the Texas Education Agency.