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Dawson Elementary School, Feb. 8. 2026. Dawson is one of ten schools that closed\u00a0 at the end of the 2025-26 school year.<\/p>\n
Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Austin Independent School District officials will sell Dawson and Sunset Valley elementary schools,\u00a0two of the 10 campuses that closed this summer<\/a>.<\/p>\n The proposed sales are the district\u2019s latest bid to infuse new cash into its depleted savings after\u00a0painful budget cuts that required Austin ISD to slash a $181 million deficit<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The district is already counting on the sale of the old Rosedale School\u00a0to inject new revenue into next school year\u2019s budget\u00a0\u2014 although that sale hasn\u2019t closed yet.\u00a0Austin ISD expects to collect $60 million by selling off multiple properties, a necessary move to avoid a ballooning budget deficit. The successful sale of the closed schools would represent a one-time infusion of cash.<\/a><\/p>\n Since the district decided in November to close the 10 schools<\/a>, Austin ISD leaders have assessed potential uses\u00a0for the now-shuttered campuses<\/a>. District officials have said closing the schools will save about $21 million, although much of that funding will go back into improving student learning at other campuses.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Austin ISD school board approved the plan to sell Dawson and Sunset Valley elementaries during a meeting in June. The district plans to begin searching for a buyer within the next three months, spokeswoman Dacia Garcia said.<\/p>\n Sunset Valley Elementary School, Feb. 8, 2026. Sunset Valley is one of 10 schools that closed at the end of the 2025-26 school year.<\/p>\n Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n The district also plans to lease a 14-acre portion of land on the Bedichek Middle School\u00a0property and will put out a call for proposals in two to three months.\u00a0The school board must vote on final sales, Garcia said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Campuses staying under Austin ISD ownership<\/p>\n Officials are also trying\u00a0to find a nonprofit or community partner to develop a new use for Becker, Ridgetop and Wid\u00e9n elementary schools, but\u00a0the district plans to\u00a0keep ownership of the properties.<\/p>\n The district will accept bids\u00a0after talking with community members about how they\u2019d like to see those properties used or what kind of organizations they\u2019d like to lease\u00a0the former schools, Garcia said.\u00a0For now, district officials plan to keep the other five closed campuses for educational uses.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Barrington Elementary and Winn Montessori School will serve\u00a0students during the renovations of Wooldridge and Andrews elementaries.\u00a0The renovations are funded through the $2.4 billion 2022 voter-approved bond<\/a>.\u00a0The district is also constructing a new Oak Springs Elementary through the 2022 bond. Until the\u00a0new Oak Springs opens and Blackshear closes in 2028<\/a>, students from both elementary schools will attend school at the Blackshear campus.<\/p>\n Plans for how the district will reuse Bedichek and Martin middle schools remain unclear, although officials said they will collect community feedback.<\/p>\n A financial need<\/p>\n As the district faced fiscal struggles this year, officials turned to property sales to bridge the gap between growing expenses and shrinking revenue.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Austin ISD aims to sell properties for $60 million this year. Last year, the district sold Brooke Elementary School on East 4th Street\u00a0to multifamily residential developer High Street Residential, a subsidary of Trammell Crow Corporation, for $17 million. The extra money went to the 2025-26 school year budget.<\/p>\n The district also attempted last year to sell the old Rosedale School<\/a> \u2014 which hasn\u2019t been used as a traditional school in years \u2014 but a legal snag has delayed the sale. The district has had a pending sales contract in place with multifamily residential builder OHT Partners since August. It\u2019s not clear when the sale could close.<\/p>\n Officials estimate not selling the property last year set the district back by $26 million.<\/a> Funds from the potential sale would go toward the 2026-27 school year budget.\u00a0<\/p>\n Families can provide feedback on the properties\u2019 future use at a series of public meetings that begin July 15<\/a> or through an online survey until Aug. 3<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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