Austin ISD weighs future of Blackshear, Oak Springs elementaries ahead of school closures

On Nov. 20, the AISD board of trustees voted to close Oak Springs Elementary alongside nine additional campuses and relocate students to Blackshear Elementary in the 2026-27 school year. Both Oak Springs and Blackshear had an enrollment of less than 230 students each in the 2023-24 school year.

In mid-December, AISD informed parents that Superintendent Matias Segura would decide by late January whether to keep all students at Blackshear or eventually move the merged schools into a modernized campus for Oak Springs.

The $47.6 million project, funded by the district’s 2022 bond election, was slated to be complete by January 2027, according to AISD information. Previously, Segura told reporters this fall that the district would work with its Community Bond Oversight Committee and board of trustees to reallocate bond dollars from closing campuses.

AISD has asked Blackshear and Oak Springs families to provide their feedback on the current plan through an online survey.

"This decision has not yet been finalized,” AISD Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Pace said in a letter to families. “Your perspective will directly inform this final planning.”

Also of note

The closure of Oak Springs Elementary comes after the campus received three consecutive F ratings from the Texas Education Agency. Under state law, a Texas public school that receives two or more unacceptable ratings must implement a form of intervention known as a turnaround plan.

Blackshear Elementary, a C-rated campus, will receive an additional $1 million in resources to implement Oak Springs’ turnaround plan, including:

• Recruiting highly-qualified staff through providing stipends
• Lowing student-to-teacher ratios
• Providing additional support staff, including counselors and instructional coaches
• Allocating funds for family engagement

Parent Neal Hall said the Blackshear community understands the need to consolidate schools and welcomes Oak Springs with open arms. Hall said he and other Blackshear parents believe students should stay at the Blackshear campus to avoid relocating again.

“We think that the kids will succeed after just a single move being under our amazing principal at Blackshear without the disturbance of yet a second move two years later," Hall said.

Laura Dablain, a parent with two students at Blackshear, said she is concerned that the new Oak Springs campus will not adequately accommodate Blackshear’s fine arts programs and additional students.

“The campus is not complete at the time we need to consolidate next year, and the design will not meet our program needs of fine arts,” Dablain said.

Despite having concerns about moving to the new Oak Springs campus, Blackshear Elementary parent Gabe Hernandez said a modernized facility could provide some benefits for students. Blackshear, which opened in 1891, will celebrate its 135th anniversary in February.

Hernandez said he is looking forward to the merged schools having additional resources and support through Oak Springs' turnaround plan.

“We have a lot of faith in our principal,” Hernandez said about Blackshear. “We believe in the system and the curriculum that they’ve put forward. We're going to be able to expand it and share it with more kids and more families and have more successful students because of it."

Stay tuned

AISD officials said Segura is expected to decide on the future of Blackshear and Oak Springs elementaries by late January.

The AISD board of trustees will hold its next meeting Jan. 15 at 6 p.m. at the AISD headquarters.