The proposal would provide the district with a monitor, appointed by the state, to oversee the district's special education department after a backlog of evaluations was discovered by the agency.
A monitor, which is a step down from the conservatorship the agency was seeking back in March, will sit in on board meetings and report the district’s progress to the TEA if the district accepts the proposal.
On Sept. 25, AISD received a final, negotiated proposal from the TEA with changes that include:
- A 10-day period allowing AISD to address concerns from the TEA
- An exclusion of closed sessions of board meetings as part of the time spent discussing special education and student outcomes
- An adjustment for the requested time spent discussing student outcomes and special education from every board meeting to a three-month rolling time frame
“The Austin ISD board recognizes that the administration has taken significant steps to reduce the evaluation backlog, providing training for teachers on all campuses and infus[ing] an additional $30 million in special education, and we look forward to continuing to transform special education for our students,” Board President Arati Singh said in an email.
What’s next
The board will accept or deny the proposal during a special meeting Sept. 26. If the board denies the proposal, the district is able to request a petition of review from the State Office of Administrative Hearings, but will waive its right to do so if it accepts.
