Austin ISD board approves turnaround plans to restart underperforming middle schools

Three Austin ISD middle schools will receive new principals, teachers and curriculum next school year as the district works to improve student performance.

The AISD board of trustees approved turnaround plans to restart Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools at a June 26 meeting. The district has until June 30 to submit these plans to the Texas Education Agency in response to two years of failed state accountability ratings.

What you need to know

AISD officials have been working to implement the state’s Accelerating Campus Excellence, or ACE, model at Burnet, Dobie and Webb. The ACE model is used to restart underperforming schools through hiring new campus leaders and teachers, extending learning time and using high-quality instructional materials.

“It is aligned with the request that we keep these campuses open,” said Jacob Reach, AISD chief of governmental relations and board services, about the turnaround plans. “Knowing that is a preference, we believe that the district-managed restart was really the best strategy available for us to support these three campuses.”

In early May, AISD announced it would offer up to $20,000 in stipends to incentivize high-performing educators to teach at Burnet, Dobie and Webb.

All current staff members were required to reapply for their jobs. To remain at the campuses, teachers were required to be certified with at least three years of experience and demonstrate student growth in the top 20% of the district.

Along with new principals and teachers, the $1.7 million plan at each campus will include:

Five 70-minute periods per school day instead of four 90-minute blocks
Extended school days for students and staff with after-school enrichment
Literacy and math taught every day instead of every other day
Nine additional full-time employees, including teachers, assistant principals, counselors, instructional coaches and content interventionists
Additional professional development and training for teachers and administrators

The update

According to AISD data, 61% of Burnet teachers were invited to return, followed by 47% of Webb teachers and 16% of teachers at Dobie.

At the June 26 meeting, AISD officials said the district had hired the following percentages of staff at each campus:

What they’re saying

Former Webb Middle School teacher Cecilia Leonard told Community Impact she does not feel valued by AISD after she was not asked to return to the campus this fall. Leonard said AISD should have better involved community members in developing the turnaround plans and explored other alternatives to the ACE model.

“We all disagree with the model that they're using,” Leonard said. “The ACE model, which is the restaffing model that they're using, is harmful [and] is causing problems.”

Leonard joined a coalition of parents, teachers and community members to form ATX United for Public Schools, including AISD parent Irma Castanon. Castanon alleged Dobie has been struggling for years and faced challenges retaining staff.

“We want them to have a better communication system and be present,” Castanon said about the district. “This is a critical time for these three schools. Every decision being made, it needs to be communicated with the staff [and] the parents to make them involved [in] every process that they're doing.”

A woman speaks at the podium at a school board meeting next to people holding signs — Parents, teachers and community members spoke against AISD's decision to restart Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools at a June 12 board meeting. (Chloe Young/Community Impact)

At the June 26 meeting, Superintendent Matias Segura expressed confidence in the turnaround plans, which he said were based on community input.

“We can 1,000% do this,” Segura said about the turnaround plans. “We got to this plan... at these campuses with feedback we got the community. This is not the easiest path to break the accountability chain. We feel strongly that this could be very successful.”

Zooming out

The ACE model is intended to help struggling campuses reach an A or B accountability rating within two years.

The model has been used at more than 40 campuses, including schools in Dallas, Houston and Aldine ISDs, according to information from the TEA and education nonprofit Good Reason Houston.

Some schools using ACE have advanced from an F to B rating within a single school year, according to the TEA’s 2023 annual report.

How we got here

The TEA’s accountability system rates districts from A-F based on student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps for certain student populations using STAAR scores and other student data.

Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools each received their second consecutive F rating from the state in 2023. The 2023 scores were released in April after being stalled for two years when more than 100 school districts sued the TEA over changes to the A-F rating system.

AISD has projected that Burnet, Dobie and Webb will receive failed accountability ratings in 2024 and 2025, Reach said. Litigation blocking the release of the 2024 scores is still pending, while the 2025 ratings are expected to be released Aug. 15, per state law.

According to AISD data, 29 campuses are anticipated to receive F ratings in 2024 with 16 new campuses requiring turnaround plans.

If a campus receives a failed accountability rating five years in a row, the state could close the school or appoint a board of managers to oversee the district. In 2023, the TEA took over Houston ISD and installed a state-appointed board of managers in place of HISD’s elected school board officials.

In April, district officials discussed closing Dobie and merging the campus with Lamar Middle School. The district changed course after many community members, staff and students spoke against the campus’s closure.

Stay tuned

The TEA is expected to respond on whether it will approve AISD’s turnaround plans by July 18, Reach said.

AISD will track student progress at these campuses through additional testing, including an interim STAAR test in the fall, Reach said.

If testing shows academic performance has not improved, the district may consider partnering with a charter school to manage these schools beginning in the 2026-27 school year, he said.

“It's a lot of pressure, especially for the students, because we feel kind of like it's on their shoulders,” Castanon said. “They have to improve.”

In 2022, the AISD board voted to partner with charter-network Third Future Schools to operate Mendez Middle School after the campus received five consecutive failed ratings, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

The district is expected to decide whether to partner with a charter school at Burnet, Dobie and Webb by Dec. 12, Reach said.

The local news you want, every day, in your inbox for free.

Austin

Dallas - Fort Worth

Houston

Bryan - College Station

San Antonio

Austin ISD board approves turnaround plans to restart underperforming middle schools

More Education news from East Austin

The Farm Fresh Network brings locally grown food to Texas schools

2026 A-F ratings: 24% of Texas public schools improved year-over-year

Under new TEA rule, closing a low-performing school becomes a less viable option to avoid state takeover

More from East Austin

Franklin Barbecue closes temporarily and H-E-B updates among 6 trending Austin-area stories

Austin council members react to passage of $6.6B budget, property tax hike

Coffee, Chicago pies and hot chicken: 6 new Austin metro dining spots to try

More from Austin

Bastrop ISD trustees ask voters for 1.3-cent tax increase

Georgetown officials consider raising rideGTX fees, adjusting operating hours

I-35 northbound lanes to temporarily close for up to 4 weekends