Parents Rage as Austin ISD Plans Major School Closures Now

UPDATE: The Austin Independent School District (AISD) has just announced a controversial plan to close several schools and redraw attendance zones, igniting fierce backlash from parents across the community. Families are facing upheaval as their children are reassigned to different schools with significantly lower performance ratings.

Many parents are expressing their outrage online. “We were formerly Zilker and now proposed to be rezoned to Galindo Elementary,” one distraught parent shared on Reddit. “I can’t find anything about Galindo other than poor ratings.” Currently, Zilker Elementary boasts a remarkable 92% reading proficiency rate, while Galindo Elementary lags behind with only 59% proficient students.

Parents are feeling betrayed after buying homes in specific zones under the belief their children would attend high-performing schools. “We bought this house last summer, in part because it was zoned to one of the best elementary schools,” lamented another parent.

As the AISD moves forward, the impact of school closures is particularly evident at Barrington Elementary, which is set to close. Some students will be reassigned to the higher-performing Guerrero Thompson, where 76% of kids read proficiently, while others will be sent to Wooldridge Elementary, which only has a 42% proficiency rate.

This divide underscores a growing concern that school assignments are unfairly sorting children into “winners” and “losers” based on their residential location. The heartbreaking reality is that families may feel forced to pay a premium for homes in desirable attendance zones to secure a quality education for their kids.

The situation mirrors historical injustices, echoing the era of redlining in the United States. In 1936, government maps marked certain neighborhoods as “desirable,” while others were deemed “hazardous.” These discriminatory boundaries continue to shape current school assignments, with children living on one side of the street being given far better educational opportunities than those on the other.

For example, the line drawn along Manor Road in the Cherrywood neighborhood still dictates school assignments today. Students north of this line are sent to Maplewood Elementary, which has an 85% reading proficiency rate. In stark contrast, those south of the line must attend Campbell Elementary, where only 78% read proficiently, leading to a palpable sense of injustice among parents.

The community is demanding that AISD trustees reconsider these maps and explore alternative solutions. Advocates like Tim DeRoche, founder of Available to All, are urging the district to abolish the current assignment system altogether. He suggests adopting models similar to New Orleans, where a centralized enrollment process allows families to apply to any school, regardless of their residential zone.

This model has led to increased student performance, graduation rates, and college attendance in New Orleans. Under an open-enrollment system, families could be guaranteed a fair shot at enrolling in one of the five nearest elementary schools to their homes.

As tensions rise, it’s clear that the AISD’s decision will have lasting effects on thousands of families. What happens next remains uncertain, but parents are calling for immediate action to ensure equitable access to quality education for every child in Austin.

This story is developing, and many are watching closely as the AISD navigates this contentious issue. Parents are encouraged to voice their concerns and advocate for a fairer school assignment process that prioritizes all children, regardless of their zip code. The urgency of this situation cannot be overstated—families deserve clarity and fairness in their children’s educational futures.