AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Independent School District (AISD) has decided to take more time to decide whether it will accept a deal that would avoid a state conservatorship.
An item on Thursday night’s agenda that signaled a vote on the matter was immediately tabled at the onset of the meeting.
The board stated that it needed more time to consider what was being proposed and that it will be having a special board meeting on Sept. 26, just days before the crucial Sept. 29 deadline.
"We certainly want to listen to our families, our staff and our students to understand their concerns, but it’s something that the administration, through our interim superintendent, will continue to discuss with our Board of Trustees before a decision is made,” said Dr. Jacob Reach, AISD's chief officer of Intergovernmental Relations & Board Services.
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) offered the district an alternative plan over a full-on conservatorship after the agency found “systemic failures” in the district’s special education program.
The alternative plan would include installing TEA monitors that would make recommendations, revise board policies and implement a Lone Star Governance model, which would require the superintendent and the board members to focus 50% of their time during board meetings on student outcomes.
Essentially, it would require expanded efforts toward required improvements for special education.
However, since the proposal was made, the district has faced significant pushback from parents, teachers and students out of fear that the plan could result in a state takeover.
Education Austin President Ken Zarifis has remained vocal about the proposed plan and was present at Thursday’s meeting.
Zarifis explained that he wants the board to make the best decision for its staff and students, as he believes depending on which route they choose, it will have “ramifications for this year and years to come.”
“This is a bitter pill, but what’s more bitter is a conservator with the potential of a state takeover. We believe that there is some space here with this that we can continue to maneuver, but it’s not ideal,” Zarifis said.
The board does have the right to reject the proposed plan and appeal TEA’s conservatorship, but board members have not expressed if that is what they will decide.