Austin ISD trustees voted March 24 to approve a new 1882 Partnership that will allow charter-network Third Future Schools to run Mendez Middle School.
An 1882 Partnership refers to Senate Bill 1882, which provides incentives for school districts to partner with charter and higher education schools, nonprofits or government entities to improve academic performance at schools that receive more than three consecutive failing ratings from the Texas Education Agency.
Mendez Middle School has received five consecutive failing ratings in recent years.
The board previously partnered with nonprofit group Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or T-STEM, Coalition in the 2018-19 school year to try to improve academic performance at Mendez. AISD trustees voted unanimously to end that partnership in December 2021 after three years of continued poor ratings.
Approving an 1882 Partnership buys a struggling school a two-year exemption from accountability penalties. If Mendez continued to operate under the T-STEM partnership, the school would have one more school year to move from an F rating to a D rating—or face penalties including closure or having AISD’s school board replaced with state leadership.
CEO of Third Future Schools Michael Miles attended AISD’s March 24 board meeting to address trustee questions regarding the new partnership, including concerns about the future of current Mendez staff and special education students.
Special education services are required to be provided to students under the new contract, and Third Future Schools cannot exclude transfers to Mendez on the basis of special education status, Miles said.
The contract also states that all Mendez staff who decide not to work for the new partner will have the option of finding a new position within AISD.
Student outcome goals highlighted in the contract include:
- raising the current F grade to a D by the end of the 2023-23 school year, and to a B in the next two years;
- increasing the number of economically disadvantaged students that meet grade-level academic requirements to 60% by 2025; and
- reducing the number of disciplinary actions against students on a yearly basis.
The Third Future Schools partnership was approved by a 7-1 vote with Trustee Noelita Lugo opposed.
