Austin ISD school closures: 3 schools taken off the list

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin ISD has changed its school closure plan, again.

Bryker Woods, Maplewood, and Palm Elementary Schools have been removed from the list of schools considered for potential closure next fall.

What we know:

In a Nov. 4 letter to the Austin ISD community, Superintendent Matias Segura announced the change, saying that the district is adjusting its timeline.

However, a vote will still happen on Nov. 20 on the relocation of the school-wide dual language programs and the consolidation and boundary changes in support of the turnaround plans, as required by the Texas Education Agency.

"The turnaround and improvement plans are a required process to ensure our schools meet state standards. We strive to implement these plans while preserving and strengthening what makes us Austin ISD—our vibrant, loving, and innovative school communities," Segura said in the letter.

READ MORE: Austin ISD releases updated consolidation and boundary change draft plan

In addition to removing Palm, Bryker Woods and Maplewood from the closure vote, Segura said any campuses affected by boundary changes separate from turnaround plans will be postponed until next year.

"We will use the start of the upcoming spring semester to advance the Academic Plan and Vision which will allow us to pick up the comprehensive boundary plan and balanced enrollment effort and move towards a vote in the fall of 2026," said Segura.

Austin ISD's superintendent speaks on update

What they're saying:

Ten schools are still set to close. 

AISD’s Superintendent, Matias Segura, said those are part of the turnaround program. The other three were originally in the mix as an effort to balance enrollment, but that is now on pause and so are other boundary changes previously proposed.

"It became clear that some of the refinements around boundary changes and the consolidations tied to balanced enrollment had not met my expectations when it comes to exploring all ideas that had validity, and so when I think through the magnitude of this decision, it was important to me that when I go to our trustees and when I got our community and I make 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," Segura said.

Segura said he recently received concerns about the integrity of people in the district’s operations and communications divisions, who are leading the process of applying community feedback to the plan.

"Integrity of the process has to be held throughout the entire process or else it's difficult for me to provide my support and take it forward," Segura said. "We are at a point now based on information the administration has received where I have concerns about our ability to be responsive to the ideas community has brought forward."

Segura would not say whether the individuals under investigation were put on administrative leave but said he made changes to the structure of his team.

Segura said in the spring, he plans to consider more consolidations and boundary changes.

"That has to continue because we have not got to a point where I can say with certainty that the budget risk, our ability to support all of our students with the resources they need has been met," Segura said.

What's next:

Segura said with the original plan of closing 13 schools, the district’s costs would be reduced by about $24 million. Nixing the three schools from the list, he said, will still save around $20 million. He pointed out in a press conference on Wednesday that the district is currently $25 million ahead.

Segura said if your student was associated with a boundary change that was not tied to a turnaround plan or program move, where your student goes or where your student is zoned to this year will be the same as next year. Those associated with the turnaround plan could still see some adjustments. Segura said he plans to provide an update before the end of the week.

The administration is set to vote on November 20 about the relocation of school-wide dual language programs, boundary changes, and consolidation plans. 

This weekend, a community-wide conversation is set to happen at the Delco Center.

Parents react

Local perspective:

"When I told my kid she like jumped up and down with her friend and did a little happy dance. It's just so great for the community, the school, all the kids, all the teachers. We're just so happy," Bryker Woods Elementary School parent Helen Mincham said.

"We can't emphasize how important it is for our community, our neighborhood. This school is just such an anchor for our community," Bryker Woods Elementary School parent Chad Whited said.

Austin ISD's full letter

Dear Austin ISD Community,

All Austin ISD families deserve to have excellent, well-resourced neighborhood schools. That has been a core belief as we developed and revised our program, consolidation and boundary change plan. We knew this process would require us to make difficult choices, and inaction or significant delay was simply not something we would be able to do with a clear understanding of the impact.

However, today I am letting our Board of Trustees and greater Austin ISD community know that I am adjusting our timeline.

Under the updated timeline, the administration will continue with a vote on Nov. 20 for the relocation of the schoolwide dual language programs and the consolidation and boundary changes in support of the turnaround plans, which are required by the Texas Education Agency.

The turnaround and improvement plans are a required process to ensure our schools meet state standards. We strive to implement these plans while preserving and strengthening what makes us Austin ISD—our vibrant, loving, and innovative school communities.

Three campuses — Palm, Bryker Woods, and Maplewood elementary schools — will not be included in the November 20th vote. Any campuses affected by boundary changes separate from TAPs will also be postponed until next year. We will use the start of the upcoming spring semester to advance the Academic Plan and Vision which will allow us to pick up the comprehensive boundary plan and balanced enrollment effort and move towards a vote in the fall of 2026.

This will allow us to ensure all ideas from our community can be considered in our plan. It is extremely important that when we make generational changes, we take the time to ensure community voice is thoroughly considered and that the process is done with fidelity, transparency, and integrity.

How we got here

This has been a deeply difficult process and I am committed to listening and actively considering feedback from our community.

In the past few days, members of our community have brought forward significant concerns about the integrity of specific individuals leading the process of applying community feedback to the updated plan. We take those concerns seriously and will thoroughly investigate the claims raised by members of our Austin ISD community. Our community’s input has been vital to the development and refinement of this plan and will continue to be.

What’s next

The necessity and urgency surrounding closure, consolidation and boundary changes has not changed. Austin ISD is at a crossroads. We face intersecting challenges, including declining enrollment, rising education costs, inadequate state funding, budget shortfalls, and state requirements to improve academic achievement. If we fail to take action by Fall 2026, the consequences to our students, teachers, and school community are significant. Failure to act means we could see deeper budget cuts impacting all of our classrooms or the possibility of increasing state interventions.

As we began this closure and consolidation plan development nine months ago, our focus has always been on improving outcomes and opportunities for the entire district and addressing long-standing inequities and imbalances in the district’s schools.

While I have confidence in the overall plan and our path forward, we must ensure that the plan and the leaders implementing it do so with clarity, integrity, and transparency. That’s why we are postponing a portion of the process to ensure our district and our community can move forward together.

I am confident that we have the commitment and knowledge within our district to create a future for Austin ISD that preserves our values, addresses our budget realities, and ultimately ensures that every student has an excellent, well-resourced neighborhood school.

Sincerely,

Matias Segura, PE, MBA
Superintendent

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