Posted inAISD

‘We need more time’: Austin parents, teachers and staff voice concerns over school closure plan

Parents, staff and community members took the mic one after another for the first time last week to express how they felt about the Austin Independent School District’s school consolidation plan. Some worried about the social and academic continuity of their children, others about layoffs. Many mentioned the possible impact on low-income communities and emerging bilingual […]

Posted inAISD

Austin ISD to release school closures list on Friday

A long-awaited list of which Austin Independent School District campuses will close for the 2026-2027 school year will be released to parents at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. In an Instagram video, Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura said the late-in-the-week announcement is “very very intentional.” “I know 5:30 p.m. on Friday isn’t the best time to receive […]

Posted inAISD

Austin ISD to host meetings on closures as 12 more schools are flagged for failing grades

A dozen schools in the Austin Independent School District will need to close or make significant changes after receiving three consecutive failing grades from the state. The Texas Education Agency ratings were released last month. Austin ISD saw some improvements from last year, but roughly one third of the district’s 116 campuses still had unacceptable ratings. In […]

Posted inEducation

More than 2,000 Austin-area kids will get free or low-cost after-school care this year

Twenty-seven schools in the Austin area are getting free or low-cost after-school care programs this year thanks to funding from a tax rate increase Travis County voters approved in 2024. The programs will open at schools with the most economically disadvantaged students in the Austin, Manor and Del Valle school districts. More than 2,000 pre-K and elementary […]

Posted inAISD

Austin ISD gets a ‘C’ in latest school ratings. Here’s how to find your campus’ grade.

Following the release of long-awaited A-F accountability ratings from the Texas Education Agency (TEA), Austin Independent School District Superintendent Matias Segura said modest improvements in scores show the district is making progress. “There’s obviously a lot of work to get to do with the number of D’s and F’s that we have, but when you look at […]

Posted inEducation

Austin ISD eliminating jobs at its central office to reduce budget deficit

Austin ISD is trying to slash up to $10 million in spending by restructuring its central administrative office. Staff will learn the future of their positions Wednesday. “The process will include eliminating positions, reassignments, new reporting structures and pay scales,” district officials told KUT News in an email. The changes at the central office, which […]

Posted inAISD

Austin Independent School district buys more time for plan to address Dobie Middle School, but prepares for seismic shifts

After years of deferrals and litigation, new state mandates for public school performance are finally catching up to Austin Independent School District, leaving hundreds of its children, teachers, and administrators unsure if they will have a school to return to come August. Dobie Middle School, a Title 1 campus on East Rundberg Lane, faces an […]

Posted inEducation

Austin ISD gets $41 million from the Education Department. What happens if the agency closes?

When Christy Fox thinks about why federal funding is important to Austin ISD, she thinks about who those dollars support: staff typically working with the district’s most vulnerable students. “I think about the human behind it,” she said, “because these are real people that have real relationships to help children be successful.” Fox is the […]

Posted inPublic Health

City intensifies efforts to encourage vaccination amid state’s worst measles outbreak in decades

Last Thursday, Austin city leaders marked the 30th anniversary of a program that provides free vaccines to children as Texas faces its worst measles outbreak in over three decades.  Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease that can spread through coughing, sneezing and contaminated surfaces and can lead to complications such as pneumonia and swelling […]

Posted inEducation

Austin public education advocates blast Trump’s order aiming to close Education Department

President Trump signed an executive order Thursday to phase out the U.S. Department of Education – an agency that provides loans and grants to college students, distributes federal funding to schools and is tasked with protecting students’ civil rights. The move follows significant layoffs at the department, including staff at a regional office in Dallas. In […]

Gift this article