AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Independent School District released a revised consolidation plan on Friday, after receiving thousands of comments from concerned parents and community members about the changes and closures of over a dozen schools.
What You Need To Know
Originally, the district released a draft consolidation plan on Oct. 3, which proposed closing 13 schools. That has not changed, but the new proposal includes several boundary changes
The district claimed it had lost more than 10,000 students over the past 10 years, and it faces a $19.7 million budget shortfall, prompting the consolidations and redrawing of district boundaries
Since the draft proposal was released, Austin ISD has received over 7,200 community comments and has hosted multiple information sessions about the plans
The full proposal and the new updates are available on the district’s website
Originally, the district released a draft consolidation plan on Oct. 3, which proposed closing 13 schools. That has not changed, but the new proposal includes several boundary changes.
“In this second round of updates, Austin ISD refined the proposed boundary changes using community input and our guiding principles. Feedback was organized into a Changes Tracker, which guided further review with demographers, district leadership, and trustees,” the district’s website says.
One of the major changes in the updated plan is what the district is calling its “continuation transfers policy” for students that wish to stay at their current schools. The updated proposal clarifies that all families who wish to continue at their current school or special program will be allowed to do so as long as the campus is not being closed or repurposed.
The district claimed it had lost more than 10,000 students over the past 10 years, and it faces a $19.7 million budget shortfall, prompting the consolidations and redrawing of district boundaries.
“Instead of making cuts to classrooms, programs, or teacher planning time, the district is proposing to consolidate, creating fewer, better-resourced schools that focus on strong academics, excellent educators, and critical student support,” Austin ISD said in a news release.
Since the draft proposal was released, Austin ISD has received over 7,200 community comments and has hosted multiple information sessions about the plans.
The full proposal and the new updates are available on the district’s website.
The school board is expected to be presented with the updated plan at its meeting on Nov. 6. The board is scheduled to finalize the plan on Nov. 20.
Austin ISD is not the only district proposing or implementing campus closures. School districts across the state have announced school closures to tackle declining enrollment and funding challenges. In 2023, the San Antonio Independent School District announced it would close 15 schools, and earlier this year, the Plano Independent School District shuttered four schools and the Fort Worth Independent School District planned to close 18.