AUSTIN, Texas — As Austin ISD works to avoid state intervention, the board of trustees is set to decide whether or not to apply for a third-party partnership to take over operations at three middle schools.
Burnet, Dobie and Webb Middle Schools are at the center of the concern over a possible state takeover of district. All three are on the verge of a fifth failing accountability grade, which means the district faces state intervention by state law.
In one last effort to keep local control, AISD is looking outside the district for solutions.
The district is proposing what’s called an “1882 partnership.”
Under Senate Bill 1882, passed in 2017, schools can apply to partner with an outside nonprofit or charter system to manage the day-to-day operations of schools.
It also exempts them from state intervention for two years and brings in more funding, according to the Texas Education Agency.
Superintendent Matias Segura told trustees in January that Dobie, Webb and Burnet aren’t expected break their streak of failing accountability grades this year, despite slight improvements in grade-level proficiency in math and reading.
“They felt as though there was growth, but to get to a ‘C’, that would be unlikely,” Segura said, referring to a third-party analysis of the schools’ test scores.
Thursday, the AISD board is set to preview an agreement with the Texas Council for International Studies, a non-profit already collaborating with schools across the state.
If approved, the council would take over operations at the three middle schools through 2029.
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“The state created a lot of this situation where AISD may feel that it has no choice,” said David DeMatthews, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s College of Education. “AISD could have done a better job, also, in terms of addressing some of these campus concerns before they’ve gotten to this place.”
DeMatthews added that the partnership style is not backed by evidence to improve the quality of education for students.
“We know exactly what the levers are for improving schools, right? It’s hiring and retaining and training high quality teachers, having a rigorous curriculum, having good school leadership, having adequate resources. Just going to a new overseer doesn’t necessarily mean that any of those things will actually change,” he said.
The Texas Council for International Studies is holding off on commenting until the partnership is official.
It is currently managing 15 schools around the state, including in San Antonio and Longview.
The deadline for the district to apply for approval for the partnership through the TEA is March 31.