AUSTIN - Early Friday morning, Austin ISD trustees voted on their school consolidation, something that has been the subject of controversy over the past several weeks.
Now that 10 schools are set to close next year, parents are voicing their disappointment in the district.
Austin ISD consolidation plan passes
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PREVIOUS COVERAGE: AISD releases final consolidation plan
Austin ISD has released its recommendation plan for school closures after nine months of work and several changes. FOX 7 Austin’s Bryanna Carroll reports.
The latest:
Two separate votes took place, one on school consolidations, and one on programmatic changes. Both passed, although neither decision was unanimous.
With approval from school board trustees, the final draft plan released by the district last week is slated to go into effect starting in the 2026-27 school year.
Under the approved plan, 3,796 students will be reassigned, and 6,000 seats will be eliminated.
Seven elementary schools will close, including Barrington, Dawson, Oak Springs, Widén, Becker, Ridgetop, and Sunset Valley.
Winn Montessori, as well as Martin and Bedichek Middle Schools are also slated to close.
To read the latest plan, click here.
Austin ISD school closures: Board votes to close 10 campuses next school year
The Austin ISD school board has voted to pass the district's school closure and consolidation plan.
Parents voice their disapproval
What they're saying:
Parents, students, and teachers have been speaking out against the closures since October when the first draft of the plan was released.
After Friday's decision, parents say they're disappointed.
"It's devastating, especially for Becker in particular; they're just like breaking our community apart," said Selina Martinez, the parent of a third-grader at Becker Elementary School.
Martinez says the district has not presented a clear or unified plan on where Becker students like her daughter will be able to attend school next year. And she says she is actively looking at options outside Austin ISD.
"We're just trying to keep all our options open, and it breaks my heart like I don't want to go to a private school," said Martinez. "It's hard to buy into the leadership in the district right now, especially after, like, the whole process, the discouragement."
Martinez said she went to every board meeting, special session and community engagement event held on school consolidations. But she said at those meetings, she felt like Austin ISD staff discouraged parents from sharing their concerns and asking questions.
"We were told that we were, like, hijacking the meeting," said Martinez.
Why are Austin schools closing?
The goal of the district's plan is to address a $19.7 million budget shortfall brought on by pressures including declining enrollment, rising costs and the loss of federal funding.
The implementation of Austin ISD's consolidation plan is expected to result in a savings of $20 million for the district.
The Source: Information in this article came from FOX 7 coverage at Austin ISD campuses.