Austin ISD is seeking community feedback in a series of meetings focused on the futures of six campuses set to close by the end of the school year.
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin Independent School District (AISD) is asking the community to weigh in on what should happen to several campuses that are set to close as the district works to address its budget deficit.
District leaders held a community meeting Wednesday night to gather feedback on how the properties could be repurposed. The meeting is part of a series of discussions the district is hosting as it considers what to do with campuses that will no longer be in use after this school year.
However, some parents say the process has been confusing and that information about the meetings hasn’t been widely communicated.
In November, the Austin ISD Board of Trustees voted to close 10 campuses, with six of those schools scheduled to close by the end of the current school year as part of the district’s effort to offset a growing financial deficit.
District officials say leaving the properties unused is not an option.
“It’d be fiscally irresponsible to sit on these properties and wait to make decisions,” said Jaime Miller, Senior Executive Director of Operations for Austin ISD.
While selling the campuses is one possibility, Miller said the district is also considering other options.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to sell the property,” Miller said.
One of the campuses scheduled to close is Widen Elementary School in southeast Austin. The school has strong emotional ties for many staff members and families in the community.
Ashley Phan, a bilingual kindergarten teacher at Widen Elementary, said the closure has been difficult to process.
“It’s like my childhood home is being taken away,” Phan said. “And it’s like, ‘OK, well, we’re going to turn it into this and turn it into that,’ and it just doesn’t feel good.”
Although Phan is not losing her job, she said the situation remains emotional for many educators and staff members who have built relationships at the campus.
“They’re looking at all the details and they’re very detail-oriented in terms of the closure process,” Phan said. “But I really wish there was more love and empathy for us that are having to go through this process.”
District leaders say they are evaluating four potential options for the future of the campuses, including different leasing arrangements that would allow nonprofit organizations to use the properties.
Miller pointed to a similar partnership at Pease Elementary School, where the district has a lease agreement with United Way. Under that agreement, improvements such as HVAC upgrades are being funded with grant money and capital dollars, and the nonprofit has a 10-year lease with the option to renew for up to 40 years.
“When we get that property back, it’s going to have improvements,” Miller said.
Some nonprofits say they are interested in potentially leasing former school buildings. Gabriela Kane Guardia, Executive Director of Latinitas, said occupying a campus could help expand the organization’s programs for students.
“By occupying a campus like this, Latinitas would be able to increase our student capacity that we’re able to serve,” Kane Guardia said. “We think it would be a great value add to the community that we’re able to reach more students with educational enrichment.”
The next community conversation about repurposing campuses will take place at Sunset Valley Elementary School, another campus scheduled to close at the end of the school year.
The meeting is scheduled from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., where Austin ISD officials will continue gathering feedback from community members about the future of the properties.