Austin ISD holds Q&A for possible closure of 11 campuses

AUSTIN – The Austin Independent School District held a question-and-answer session on Saturday on the district’s recommended school consolidation and boundary change plan. 

Austin ISD community engagement session

Austin ISD superintendent Matias Segura emphasized the importance of transparency and empathy as the district continues to work on their consolidation and boundary change plan. But not everyone feels that the school district is succeeding in putting those values at the forefront of their planning process. 

Austin ISD released the first version of their draft consolidation plan in October, sparking outcry from the community. 

That plan proposed closing 13 schools to address the district’s $19.7 million budget shortfall that superintendent Segura said was brought on by a number of pressures including the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, declining enrollment, rising costs of education and loss of federal funding. 

The plan was intended to result in an immediate $20 million in savings as well as other long-term savings on transportation and…

In the latest version of the draft plan, two schools were taken off that list, leaving 11 proposed closures. But the revisions have not alleviated the concerns of many in the community, with teachers, parents and students speaking out against a number of proposed changes. 

‘I would not say they’re being transparent’

What they’re saying:

“I would not say they’re being transparent,” said Lisa Moses, the parent of a student at Garza Independence High School. “I would not say they’re being empathetic either. And I would, it appears very haphazard with no strategic vision and overall plan in place.”

One community that showed up to the engagement session in force was that of Garza Independence High School. 

“They helped me a lot going through my studies,” said Anoosha Tanveer. 

Tanveer is 19 years old and currently in tenth grade at Garza Independence High School. Originally from Pakistan, English is her third language. 

“I was facing difficulties in history and math because it’s a different language, different school and different system. But thanks to the teachers, the principal, the counselor, they helped me so much,” said Tanveer. 

Programming at Garza Independence High School is self-paced and tailored for non-traditional students like Tanveer, who may be older, face language barriers, medical challenges, be young parents or even be unhoused. 

But in the latest iteration of the consolidation plan, the district is considering moving Garza Independence High School to the Martin Middle School Campus and expanding to grades 6 through 12. 

Due to the unique needs of the Garza student population, community members say that plan is not a fit. 

“Garza is a school that is meant to get kids who are struggling a high school diploma. Like, to put sixth graders in that mix would not be a fit,” said Moses. 

Further meetings planned

What’s next:

Representatives for the district say that the current discussion around relocating and adjusting programming at Garza is exploratory, and that they will meet with school staff before deciding whether to move forward with any changes.

As for Tanveer, her dream is to finish high school and gain admittance to the University of Texas at Austin. Looking forward, she hopes Garza High will remain a supportive pathway to a diploma for other students like her. 

A number of schools in addition to Garza were mentioned at Saturday’s meeting, including Joslin, Zavala, Blackshear, Wooten, and Becker elementary schools, as well as International High School. Members of the crowd who offered feedback or asked questions had a lot of similar concerns around transportation, programming and support for bilingual students. And many said they want to see the entire process slow down. 

Members of the community were asked to sign up to ask questions using a QR code, but many who wanted to ask questions during the open forum did not have the chance before time ran out. One man asked Superintendent Seguras if it would be possible to extend the meeting so everyone who had a question could get an answer, but he declined, citing accessibility issues. 

Another updated version of the consolidation plan is set to be released on November 14 ahead of a final decision by school board trustees on November 20.