Takeover Plan
Even in the event of a state takeover, the elected school board continues to exist. It's crucial to have trustees who can protect our public schools, hold the TEA accountable, and navigate our way out of takeover. I'm ready to fight for our district.
In late May the Texas Education Agency denied AISD’s application to partner with the non-profit Texas Council for International Studies to run Burnet, Dobie, and Webb Middle School for the upcoming school year.
If approved, this partnership would have given AISD a two year pause on state intervention in hopes of getting the three middle schools to an acceptable rating.
While the district is working to reverse this denial, if finalized, a fifth unacceptable rating for any of the three middle schools could trigger a full state takeover.
As seen in Houston, a takeover would replace the superintendent and board of trustees with a set of state appointed, Abbott aligned board of managers. Read the tabs below to learn more about the harmful policies being implemented by the state in Houston ISD.
In the event of a takeover, our community must organize against the TEA to defend our Austin values and hold the state accountable.
A little known aspect of the takeover is that the elected board of trustees continues to exist. While voting power rests with the board of managers, it’s crucial to have elected trustees who are willing to stand up for Austin and be a watchdog on the state. As an elected trustee I look forward to the following.
In Houston, state management has received thousands of public information requests for data that was otherwise public before takeover. Findings include the revelation that Houston has lost thousands of teachers since takeover began. (Read Here) In a takeover, state management works hard to keep the public in the dark. As an elected trustee, I will demand transparency and use every tool available to ensure the communities know how state management is hurting our schools.
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Track key metrics such as enrollment trends, teacher turnover, and academic outcomes while under state management
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Publish independent summaries of board meetings, policy changes, and other district decision making in plain language.
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Continuously file public information requests for any and all data that helps get a full picture of state management's impact on the district.
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Host regular community events to learn from parents, staff, and students what is happening in our schools.
In Houston, the community has been shut out from nearly all decision making. An appointed board of managers will make little to no effort to engage with the community. It’s up to our elected trustees to keep the public informed, solicit feedback on harmful decision making, and ensure the community still has a voice in AISD.
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Conduct listening sessions throughout the district to share updates and gather feedback to share directly with state appointed leadership
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Serve as a direct point of contact for families and staff to ask questions and share concerns
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Advocate for meaningful public input on all decision making
In Houston, state management has turned libraries into discipline centers, converted campuses to AI Schools, and even stopped students from reading books. Elected trustees play a crucial role in holding the board of managers accountable and call out every harmful decision that goes against our Austin values. (Read More Here: Discipline Centers, AI Schools, Reading Bans)
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Safeguard programming deemed un-necessary by the state
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Call out every decision being made without community input and against community values
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Compare the state managers stated goals against actual student outcomes
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Push for state management to limit their decision making to purely academic clear measures
In Houston, state management has quietly stopped high achieving students from taking advanced classes such as Algebra 1 in the 8th Grade in order to artificially bolster test scores. Read Here. Every student should have access to rigorous coursework and have an opportunity to excel. I’m ready to call out any attempt to hold students back.
Even the Trump administration has called out Houston’s state managers plan to isolate all special education students into one ‘contained campus’. Read Here. As an elected trustee, I’m ready to defend special education students and push back against any attempts to deny the services they’re entitled to.
If taken over, my top priority as an elected trustee will be to restore local control to Austin ISD as quickly as possible.
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Work with our Travis County delegation at the state legislature to negotiate with the Texas Education Agency for favorable takeover terms.
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Fight for a clear timeline on relinquishing control of AISD from the TEA
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Lead the charge in advocating against the state takeovers at the legislature
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Build coalitions with other school districts facing takeover threats
This fight cannot be won alone, a TEA takeover would disrupt every campus regardless of zip code or A-F rating.
Thankfully there are incredible advocates across the city working hard to organize their communities. As a candidate, I look forward to connecting the people I meet with the amazing groups doing great work to defend our district.