1. Austin ISD to hold off on 3 school closures, delay boundary changes
The Austin ISD board of trustees will no longer vote to close Palm, Bryker Woods and Maplewood elementaries in November.
Additionally, the district will postpone any proposed attendance boundary changes until next year, excluding those related to intervention at failing schools, Superintendent Matias Segura announced in a letter to families on the evening of Nov. 4.
The announcement follows weeks of protesting from AISD parents, staff and students against the district’s initial plan to close 13 schools and rezone most campuses.
The update
On Nov. 20, the AISD board will move forward with voting on the closure of 10 of the 13 campuses it initially proposed to close next school year.
Seven of these campuses have received three consecutive F ratings and require state-mandated intervention through turnaround plans. After closing these schools, the district will provide additional support at whichever campus the majority of students are reassigned to, which could include principals and teachers having to meet certain criteria.
The district plans to close Becker, Ridgetop and Sunset Valley elementaries to relocate their schoolwide dual language programs to Sánchez, Pickle and Odom elementaries, respectively.
2. Former Rosedale School slated to serve as multifamily housing development
Austin ISD’s former Rosedale School campus in North Austin could be developed into a six-story apartment complex.
Representatives of OHT Partners presented their plans for the development at a meeting with Rosedale neighborhood residents Oct. 20. Community members living near the property shared many concerns about the apartment building disrupting their neighborhood and causing safety and traffic hazards.
What’s happening
OHT Partners has proposed building a 435-unit, market-rate apartment complex spanning six stories with a parking garage at 2117 W. 49th St., said David Hartman, an attorney representing OHT Partners. In August, AISD officials executed a contract to sell the former Rosedale School property to OHT Partners.
3. Dripping Springs ISD receives perfect financial accountability score
Dripping Springs ISD scored 100 out of 100 points, or “A,” in its Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas, or FIRST, rating for the 2024-25 rating year, which accounts for data collected in fiscal year 2023-24.
How it works
The school FIRST rating is the financial accountability rating system for all Texas school districts. The ratings hold districts accountable for their financial management practices, according to DSISD officials.
FIRST ratings are based on 21 indicators. A school district must pass four critical indicators, or it will automatically fail.
The indicators analyze district funds, how they are spent and how they are reported.
