Austin ISD potential state intervention: Parents weigh petition
Austin ISD school closures: Parents weigh petition
Parents at Burnet and Webb middle schools are weighing a petition that could give them a voice in what happens next as Austin ISD faces possible state intervention. FOX 7 Austin's Julieanna Jackson has the details.
AUSTIN, Texas - Parents at two Austin Independent School Distirct middle schools are weighing a petition that could give them a voice in what happens next as AISD faces possible state intervention following five consecutive failing ratings at both campuses.
The backstory:
Burnet and Webb Middle School parents are weighing a major decision as the district faces possible intervention from the Texas Education Agency.
Both middle schools each received their fifth consecutive F rating. The ratings are still under appeal and are expected to become final in December.
If they stand, state law requires intervention, which could include closing the affected campuses or appointing a board of managers to govern Austin ISD.
Parents weigh petition
Dig deeper:
Families at Burnet and Webb have the option to pursue a parent petition asking the state to close their campuses.
The petition is specific to eligible parents of students enrolled at the affected schools. Parents representing a majority of students at a campus would need to sign for the petition to be valid.
Keep Austin Schools Independent, or KASI, is a newly formed coalition of parents, educators and community members working to educate families about the potential state intervention.
Austin ISD parent and KASI member Lily McClure said the group wants the families most directly affected to lead the conversation.
"Our stance at KASI is that we're gonna follow the lead of the communities most impacted," McClure said. "Those Burnet and Webb families, our role in this is to just be there to support them and to follow their lead because their kids are the ones that are gonna be directly impacted."
McClure said KASI is also trying to help families understand what state intervention has looked like elsewhere in Texas.
"We've really been focused on educating the public about what a TEA takeover is, what it's looked like in the other districts that have been taken over, and making sure that people understand and are aware of this major issue facing public education," McClure said.
For McClure, the issue extends beyond the families at Burnet and Webb.
"I would say it would affect anybody that lives in Austin," McClure said. "Our schools are the heartbeat of our communities."
What they're saying:
Superintendent Matias Segura says the district will stay out of the signature-gathering effort and leave the decision to affected families.
"Austin ISD will not participate in gathering signatures or advocacy of the petition as we continue our student-focused work and allow impacted families to use their voice without our guidance," Segura wrote in a Sept. 14 message posted on the Austin ISD website.
If a petition receives the required signatures, Segura said the district could submit a comprehensive closure plan outlining how Burnet and Webb students would be supported the following school year.
District leaders are already working through possible options.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson raised the petition option earlier this month as a possible path for families to have a say in the state intervention process.
Watson has said he wants parents to be fully informed and empowered to make the decision for their communities.
The proposal has received mixed reactions from parents, including some who question whether closing their schools is the right path forward.
What's next:
Families considering the petition face an Oct. 15 deadline to gather the required signatures and submit it to Segura for validation.
Austin ISD says Burnet and Webb's five F ratings are expected to become final in December.
In the meantime, the district says it is continuing its turnaround efforts at both campuses, including additional training and coaching for teachers and academic interventions for students.
McClure said she wants families to understand what's at stake as they make their decision.
"I am nervous about what a takeover means, and I wanna be educated about it," McClure said. "But for me and my family, our kids will stay in public school."
The Source: Information from interviews with Austin ISD parent and KASI member Lily McClure, Austin ISD superintendent Matias Segura, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and reporting by Julieanna Jackson.