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Mayor Kirk Watson speaks at a back-to-school safety news conference at Lamar Middle School on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. Watson is calling on the parents of Burnet and Webb middle schools to petition to close their campuses to avoid a districtwide takeover of Austin Independent School District.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
The Austin Independent School District shouldn\u2019t be taken over by the state, Mayor Kirk Watson wrote\u00a0in a Wednesday morning newsletter<\/a> sent to community members.<\/p>\n Instead, parents should petition Education Commissioner Mike Morath to close two campuses with chronic academic challenges\u00a0\u2014 Burnet and Webb<\/a> middle schools\u00a0\u2014 and ask AISD to open a new school in North Austin, he proposed in his\u00a0\u201cWatson Wire\u201d newsletter.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The mayor\u2019s comments come as Austin ISD faces a potential state takeover because Burnet and Webb<\/a> each recieved a fifth consecutive failing rating on the 2026 state accountability ratings, triggering a 2015 law that requires Morath to\u00a0either close the schools or take over the entire district. The latter consequence would result in the state replacing Austin ISD\u2019s elected trustees with appointed managers<\/a>.<\/p>\n A takeover is \u201can extraordinary intervention,\u201d and isn\u2019t warranted in a district that improved to a B rating of an 81 this year and has shown academic progress, Watson said. Last year Austin ISD scored a 79, or C, on the state\u2019s letter grades.<\/p>\n \u201cWe ought to ask whether a more targeted intervention can address the campuses that triggered the law while preserving\u00a0\u2014 and accelerating\u00a0\u2014 the strong and steady progress occurring throughout Austin ISD,\u201d Watson said.<\/p>\n The mayor pointed parents to a portion of state law that allows families to appeal to Morath directly.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n When a school triggers a potential takeover, a majority of parents at the campus can sign a petition asking Morath to either close their school or replace their elected trustees. Morath\u00a0may\u00a0follow the parents\u2019 wishes, according to state law.\u00a0<\/p>\n TEA didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request seeking clarification about whether a petition compels Morath to follow parent recommendaitons.\u00a0<\/p>\n Watson implied students from Burnet and Webb could be educated at a new school on the Burnet campus, which is undergoing $158 million in renovations as part of the 2022 $2.4 billion bond.\u00a0<\/p>\n Superintendent Matias Segura\u2019s \u201cpast work gives me confidence that he would develop an ambitious plan that refuses to disperse students from struggling campuses among existing middle schools,\u201d Watson said. \u201cI trust him, with the support of the elected board, to create a new school in a brand-new facility that keeps each school community together.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Austin ISD didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear whether a majority of families at Burnet or Webb would sign such a petition.\u00a0<\/p>\n Vanessa Gamez, who has an eighth grader at Webb and serves as the campus’ PTA president, doesn\u2019t want to see her child\u2019s school shutter. For years, families asked for resources and staff for the North Austin schools to help improve academic outcomes, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNow they want to close our school?\u201d Gamez said. \u201cIt\u2019s not fair.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n At this point, she wonders if TEA should take a look at improving the school, but parents have asked the state for help before, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is so sad for our community,\u201d Gamez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Parent petitions elsewhere<\/p>\n Parents have used the petition tool before.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n When Snyder ISD was under threat of a takeover in 2019<\/a> for chronic academic issues, parents from Snyder Junior High, which had received five consecutive F ratings, filed a petition asking Morath to close the campus instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n This petition, which came from a majority of Snyder Junior High parents, compelled him to shutter the school and appoint a conservator to direct district decisions, instead of replace the elected school board, he wrote in a January 2020 letter to the district<\/a>.<\/p>\n Burnet and Webb haven\u2019t met state standards since 2018. Webb scored a 58 out of 100 and Burnet a 59. A 60 would have given both schools a \u201cpause\u201d year to improve their scores.<\/p>\n In August, Watson told the Statesman<\/a> he was discussing potential state action with Austin ISD<\/a> and believed the district was on the right track to improve student outcomes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In Wednesday\u2019s newsletter, Watson said Segura\u2019s policies have made significant progress at improving academic standards across Austin ISD.\u00a0The district reduced the number of F-rated campuses from 23 to 20 and increased A-rated campuses from 22 to 28.<\/p>\n Segura and the board have \u201c implemented significant, systemic reforms\u201d including \u201cby providing financial incentives for top teachers at high-needs schools, focusing the most intense resources on students needing them, modernizing campuses, and prioritizing schools with historically underserved populations,\u201d Watson wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n Other school closures<\/p>\n<\/p>\n