Austin ISD is exploring Senate Bill 1882 partnerships for Dobie Middle School and Linder and Pecan Springs elementary schools, according to a district calendar notice.
In SB 1882 partnerships, an outside nonprofit, charter school or university runs a campus. In exchange, the district gets extra state funding and a two-year pause on state intervention, according to the Texas Education Agency.
What's happening
AISD held community feedback meetings at Linder on Oct. 27 and at Dobie on Oct. 28, according to the district calendar. A virtual information session for all three school communities is set for 11 a.m. Oct. 31.
Terms of any new agreement have not been released, and any partnership would require trustee approval and TEA’s sign-off on SB 1882 benefits.
The backstory
This is AISD’s second SB 1882 effort this year, after an earlier partnership for three middle schools fell through.
November 2025: Linder’s turnaround plan included an SB 1882 option for the 2027-28 school year if progress stalled.
March-July: Trustees approved a partnership with the Texas Council for International Studies to run Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools, according to the district. Staff selected to stay would have remained district employees with full benefits, the district said.
The TEA denied SB 1882 benefits in May, writing that the nonprofit lacked a track record of turning around low-performing schools. The partnership ended in July.
Aug. 14: Dobie earned a D after four straight F’s, according to TEA data. Linder and Pecan Springs each received a fourth straight F, and Burnet and Webb each received a fifth straight F.
Why it matters
Under state law, a fifth consecutive failing rating requires the education commissioner to close the campus or replace the elected school board, per Community Impact reporting.
A D pauses a campus’s accountability clock without resetting it, Superintendent Matias Segura said at an Aug. 13 board information session.
AISD must validate parent petitions to close Burnet and Webb and submit them to TEA by Dec. 1, according to TEA’s petition guidance and Community Impact reporting.
