Austin Mayor Kirk Watson Proposes School Closures to Prevent State Takeover of School District
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson has urged parents of Burnet and Webb middle schools to formally petition for the closure of these two campuses. This proposal is a strategic move to prevent the Texas Commissioner of Education, Mike Morath, from intervening and potentially taking over the entire Austin Independent School District (AISD). Under Texas statutory law, if specific schools are identified for closure due to persistent low academic performance, the Commissioner's intervention powers could be limited to only those facilities, rather than extending to the district's elected board and overall control. Mayor Watson acknowledged the unacceptable academic performance at Burnet and Webb, which have accumulated five consecutive failing grades. However, he emphasized that the Austin ISD as a whole has shown significant progress under Superintendent Matias Segura, with a 42% increase in schools achieving excellence ratings and a 35% decrease in low-performing schools. The district is also investing in modernization,...
