Austin Mayor Kirk Watson proposes parents ask for school closures to avoid state takeover

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin Mayor Kirk Watson is suggesting parents in two schools ask the state to close their campuses to avoid a state takeover of Austin ISD.

Two Austin ISD schools receive failing grades

The backstory:

Burnet and Webb Middle Schools each received five consecutive "F" grades from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). 

The schools face intervention from the state Commissioner of Education. The deadline to appeal is Sept. 11, but Watson suggests parents take action as a last-ditch effort against a state takeover. If there is a state takeover, the schools could be closed, or the school board would be replaced with state appointees.

Watson is proposing for Burnet and Webb parents to petition to close the campuses because of a rule that says the Education Commissioner could order a closure instead of a state takeover. 

"This is a way for us to do some things, lift these parents up, empower them, and at the same time, do things without having things done to us," Watson said.

He says he wanted to get involved because students, parents, teachers, and staff are his constituents, and everything he does as mayor is related to schools in some way.

He says school communities could stay together. There is a new building going up on the Burnet site.

"This is a way to empower these parents whose children have been in schools that have received five consecutive F ratings and empower them, allow for the superintendent to create a plan that protects, doesn't scatter those students throughout the district, protects them, in fact, would likely put them in a new $15 million structure," Watson said.

Austin ISD advocates speak out

The other side:

Marie Lebron, an AISD parent and advocate, says more could've been done years ago and closures don't guarantee a takeover won't happen.

"When we look at where we are, what we could have done to prevent this is, we could have provided targeted interventions in 2022 and 2023 that would have brought real support to these campuses, but that didn't happen," she said. "I just have a really hard time saying, let's go to these communities and ask them to sign a piece of paper to make the ultimate sacrifice, but what we're not telling them is there's no guarantee that that would have any impact on a takeover."

There is also concern about communication and whether parents understand what is happening. 

The group Keep Austin Schools Independent put out a statement saying, "we believe the most prudent course of action is for the parents who would be the most impacted to get all the information they need to make an informed decision."

Webb PTA posted on Facebook: "Can the mayor make that statement in Spanish? If you're going to speak for us and about us, and if you're so concerned about our community, you need to know that 90 percent of us are Latino and we have the right to know in our own language what you say in that letter. Which, by the way, we don't agree with."

In response, Watson said, "we need to educate, absolutely. This is about empowerment, and the statute expressly gives them a means of power that plays a role here."

Dig deeper:

Lebron also says moving into a new building won't solve everything. 

"Texas Education Code 39A.113 makes it clear that they can't just move into shiny new Burnet. That would be a substantially different campus serving different grades with a different program, such as maybe NES, or that it would be charter-operated by an independent third-party partner with a separate independent board. We need to be really, really clear about what we're asking these communities to do and what the consequences are," she said. 

Watson pointed out the district is in a better place than it was, moving up as a whole to "B" rating. 

"We're seeing enormous progress, undeniable improvement in our school district. What I'm arguing is that needs to be allowed to continue and with a focus on these specific schools that have triggered this whole statute," he said.

A Burnet parent who wanted to remain anonymous said, "I would never sign a petition like that. Burnet is a school that has a lot of resources for the community and a lot of community engagement. I believe closing the school is not going to solve the issue. I truly believe these STAAR scores are the results of COVID. For them to turn around and punish students, teachers, and community isn't fair in any shape, form, or way."

"We had a responsibility to these children and the communities, and I stand with Burnet and Webb. I stand with them using their voices to make the decision for their community, for their children. I stand with them being fully informed to do so," Lebron said.

Neither AISD nor TEA has responded to a request for comment.