Austin ISD proposes nonprofit partner to revamp Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools

Three North Austin middle schools may undergo another major overhaul next school year.

At a March 12 board meeting, Austin ISD officials discussed applying for a three-year contract with the Texas Council for International Studies to operate Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools. The educational nonprofit specializes in the International Baccalaureate, or IB, program and is advised by the Region One Education Service Center.

This school year, the district implemented a turnaround plan to restart the three campuses by hiring new principals and teachers who were required to meet certain performance and experience criteria.

“We really want to be responsive to the needs of the school, our students [and] do something that we knew met the urgency with the plan we're bringing forward,” AISD Superintendent Matias Segura said at the March 12 meeting. “I'm hopeful that we'll be successful in the application.”

What’s happening

AISD is considering adopting an 1882 partnership with TCIS for Burnet, Dobie and Webb Middle Schools. The partnership comes after each school received a fourth consecutive F accountability rating from the state in 2025.

If a Texas public school receives five or more consecutive failed ratings, the Texas Education Agency commissioner must close the campus or takeover the district. Under Senate Bill 1882, school districts can receive additional funding and a two-year exemption from state accountability interventions by partnering with a charter school, higher education institution, government entities or nonprofits, according to TEA information.

Under a three-school-year contract with AISD, TCIS would be required to help Burnet, Dobie and Webb receive D or C ratings in the 2026-27 school year, according to the contract. For the 2027-28 and 2028-29 school years, the schools are expected to receive an acceptable rating of C or higher.

The nonprofit would also assist the schools in implementing the IB program—an advanced academic track that extends through high school.

The board of trustees is set to vote on applying for the 1882 partnership at its next March 26 meeting. The district must submit its application to the TEA by March 31 to receive approval for next school year.

Why it matters

Segura said TCIS could provide students additional resources and address concerns more quickly than the district could. The partnership would allow the district to focus on other efforts while allowing the middle schools’ progress to continue, he said.

“The driving factor [is] really resources and the work that our partners have been able to do where Austin ISD historically has not been able to do in the time frame that's available to us,” Segura said.

School board President Lynn Boswell said she and other trustees visited TCIS partner schools in San Antonio ISD. Briscoe Elementary, a TCIS-operated school in San Antonio, boosted its accountability rating by two letter grades from 2024 to 2025.

“They were using the additional resources that come with an 1882 partnership to support students in ways that are harder to do when money is tighter,” Boswell said about San Antonio ISD. “We... saw very ambitious learning [and] the kinds of things that we know families are asking for.”

Next school year, AISD will regain ownership of Mendez Middle School in South Austin after the campus earned a B accountability rating in 2025. Charter school and nonprofit partners operated the campus for more than a decade to help improve low academic performance.

How it works

As the operating partner, TCIS would have “sole authority” over the school’s curriculum, staffing and finances, according to district documents. TCIS could select instructional materials and educational programs, including emergent bilingual, special education and gifted and talented programming.

Once a campus received a C accountability rating, TCIS would begin introducing IB programming and submit an application for candidacy as an IB middle school in the 2028-29 school year. Teachers would continue teaching the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills curriculum through an IB framework, which focuses on inquiry, critical thinking, global perspective and service.

AISD would monitor TCIS’ academic progress and could terminate the contract if the outlined performance goals were not met.

What else?

The contract would grant TCIS the authority to hire and assign all staff members, including principals, administrators and teachers. The nonprofit could allow current district employees to continue in their roles or hire new staff, the contract states.

Teachers could not be paid lower than AISD’s current salary schedule while TCIS could choose to raise teachers’ salaries.

The district would still own the Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle school buildings and would be responsible for major structural maintenance such as roof repairs, HVAC systems and furniture. TCIS could contract with the district for substitute teachers, transportation, food service, technology, special education or health services.

In case you missed it

AISD offered up to $20,000 in stipends to incentivize high-performing educators to teach at Burnet, Dobie and Webb this school year. 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. According to AISD data, 68% of Burnet teaching staff were invited to return, followed by 57% of Webb teaching staff and 32% of teaching staff at Dobie.

Many students protested the removal of their teachers through participating in walkouts during the school day. Enrollment declined across all three campuses from last school year to this fall, according to AISD data.

Despite these academic gains, Segura said the campuses were unlikely to improve by two letter grades this spring and recommended moving toward an 1882 partnership for next school year.