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Reaction to Paredes Middle School closure
Despite opposition from the Paredes Middle School community, the Austin ISD Board of Trustees has voted to shut down the school weeks before the start of the new school year.
AUSTIN, Texas - Despite opposition from the Paredes Middle School community, the Austin ISD Board of Trustees has voted to shut down the school weeks before the start of the new school year.
Now, students from Paredes will be forced to relocate to Bailey and Mendez Middle Schools before the start of school on August 18.
What they're saying:
"Just a horrible experience. The last week has been a whirlwind. It hasn't been a good thing and if we as adults are having a hard time processing this, how do you think our kids feel," said Elena Torres-Ponce, a Paredes Middle School parent.
Superintendent Matias Segura says the South Austin school hasn't made enough progress on its turnaround plan. District leaders expect Paredes to receive a fourth consecutive "F" rating, and under Texas law, that could lead to a state-mandated closure or takeover. But Paredes shutting down avoids that.
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PREVIOUS COVERAGE: AISD votes to shut down Paredes Middle School
The Austin ISD board of trustees voted to close Paredes Middle School weeks before the start of the upcoming school year.
"We were supposed to be a team and work with the parents, the students, the teachers, this administration in order to meet this turnaround plan and that's not what happened," said Torres-Ponce.
On Thursday night, the board of trustees voted to approve the closure, 7 to 2.
Parents who showed up at Thursday's board meeting say they're disappointed.
"He was extremely hurt and extremely disappointed. He was trying to put on a brave face, but I know my kid, and he was not okay," said Torres-Ponce.
Dig deeper:
The district says students living east of Bluff Springs Road and north of Slaughter Lane will be reassigned to Mendez Middle school. All other students within the Paredes Middle School boundary will transition to Bailey Middle School.
Bailey will also adopt Paredes’ turnaround plan that was approved by the TEA in January. Bailey received a "C" rating and Mendez received a "B" last August.
Of the 353 Paredes students, roughly 55% will be moved to Bailey Middle School, while the other 45% will attend Mendez Middle School. It's also raising concern for some Bailey parents.
Austin ISD board votes to close Paredes Middle School
The Austin ISD board of trustees voted to close Paredes Middle School weeks before the start of the upcoming school year.
"We don't understand the ripple effects of this decision on the curriculum. And down to the nitty-gritty of my kid's class schedule, how does that change? How do their electives change? What are the extracurricular activities? How are they impacted?" said Kasia Roe, a Bailey Middle School parent.
Some board members weren’t happy with how district leadership has handled the situation.
"The difficult reality is our district administration has failed to manage that same level of improvement at Paredes, that failure belongs to adults, not to children, and the tragedy and the disrespect that people are now being asked to bare the greatest burden are the very same people that are least responsible," said Andrew Gonzales, Austin ISD Board Of Trustees Vice President - District 6.
Superintendent Segura says the closure allows students to move directly into learning environments with stronger academic momentum.
AISD says affected staff members will be placed in other district jobs with no layoffs.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Jenna King