001Good morning, parents. Let's begin our meeting this morning. We want to thank all of you for being here. this morning. Um, I know this is a meeting related to the draft plan, and right now we want to thank our superintendent for being here. We also want to thank everyone on the district leadership committee team, and we want to thank you parents for being here. I know you probably have questions. We'll have time later as the presentation progresses. Now I'm going to pass it on to Ali. Good morning everyone and thank you so much for being here. My name is Alguilar and I am the executive director of communications and community engagement for Austin. Let's go through the agenda to see what it will cover. So, number one, of course, we're going to go over some
002meeting rules, and the purpose of today's meeting is simply an introduction because we have some people here for questions they may have. After that, there will be a review of what is in the proposed plan so that everyone knows they are on the same page. So, some of you submitted some cards with comments that have this QR code on the table. So, we took one of those questions and they have already been submitted. This is open until October 28th, so there's still time to share your ideas. We've already put some forward to answer these questions today, and we'll take more questions later and then discuss the next steps. So, here are the rules for our meetings. We want to build a future together. That said, we acknowledge the challenges of the situation and we also
003want to find ideas and solutions that make our country stronger, more equitable and sustainable for years to come. We will honor your time. So we want our presenters, just like you, to limit our comments to around one minute for everyone's space. We want to honor everyone as presenters. We want to honor our process. We are trying to be very respectful in order to have a questionable dialogue. So we may not agree on ideas, but we have to have very positive opinions because we all want what is best for our children. So, we want to establish their voice. Then we can call other people and I want to be focused on solutions, focused on ideas, solutions and understanding. We are trying to help parents with the conversations. So, everything we see and know as we go
004through this whole process. And here are the same words in Spanish. So, the purpose of our meeting is, first of all, to answer some of the questions that were submitted because we know they are questions that came up at different times in the comment cards and we want to make sure that you have the opportunity to follow up on them or ask any new questions you may have had. We want to make sure that everyone has a shared understanding of what is being proposed. And we as district leaders want to be attentive to your ideas and concerns so we can inform you of any potential changes to the plans, because we will be drafting or revising the plan and it will be unveiled on October 31st. So, the idea is that what we hear from
005you will help us shape this in a better way. So, with that, I'm going to pass it on to our superintendent Matías Seguras, who will give you a little bit about the vision and the reason for this process. I am the superintendent of AustinD. I am Matías Seguros. I am Matías Seguro. He is the superintendent of AustinD. And I want to thank you for being here this morning. His presence, his love for his students, his advocacy and defense of his community and his school, means everything. I also want to acknowledge how damaging and disruptive all of this is. It's also not easy to share with you that there are many things happening right now that are putting pressure on our goal. Our collective vision is to ensure that every part of Austin, no matter where
006you live, has access to strong, vibrant, and loving neighborhood schools. That's all. We have great schools in Austin. This is a great school, but the reality is that we don't have the resources to continue in the way we have been doing and still ensure that all students, especially those who look like me and many of our children, need to be successful. It's the truth. The honest truth. This plan is very complex; there are many elements because we are trying to address many things at the same time. And I want to tell you that if we didn't do it this way, it's very likely that a very significant burden of change, closures, and reconciliations would be much heavier. So, I'm not going to let that go. So, I'm not going to present a plan that distributes
007that change among all schools. So, there are a couple of things we're going to try. One, we want to align all the conduit patterns of small and large schools. When I talk about these pathways, I mean having a primary school that goes to no more than two middle schools , and a middle school that goes to no more than two high schools. At this time we have middle school students who go to four or five different high schools. One cannot keep a community together. One cannot align the program. You cannot build roads with that type of fraction. So, when do we have better patterns, and where do you think they are? Where are the good employers? They are not in East Austin. So, our plan is to address that. Number two, we have to recognize
008that funding and support for public education has not been and will not be ideal in the short term. The cost of education has increased. We need to pay our teachers more. We need more resources for our students. All those things are spreading the funds around, and our numbers have gone down. So, in order to be able to board, we have to identify faults in the seat by removing empty seats. We have over 20,000 empty seats, which is why they 're in the consulates on the campuses to try to balance all of this. The other thing we need to do is align the programming so that it holds up all the way. And I'm talking about wall-to-wall. We have four in Austin; these walls really require 50% best practices. Half of the students are emerging bilinguals
009and the other half are non-emerging bilinguals. So, as the city changes, the number of emerging bilinguals has decreased year after year. So now we have 17%, 21%, 24% and they make up 50% of the total. So we know that our emerging bilingual families do not have the same access. Many of our families work multiple jobs. So, we're trying to move the programs so that it's to increase access. We want our families to benefit from these programs, and that's what the content is for. The other thing is, we have to acknowledge that there are amazing schools throughout Austin, but we live in a city that has an accountability system that counts on a single exam taken on a single day, and that grade has a very significant meaning, and we as a school have to recognize
010that with the state, whether it's a D or F or B school, whatever. We as a school district have to own that. We need to make many improvements, but if we are not aggressive in getting rid of the burden of responsibility, then we risk having someone else come in and tell us how to educate our students. And that will get worse. So, we need to address the transformation programs, the transformation plans in order to reach an acceptable rating. And this is more or less where we are right now in Barrington, at this moment where we are trying to type all of this at the same time. The last thing I want to say is we need to address our transfer policies. Our transfer policies have been in place for decades and have created opportunities to
011choose schools outside your area. And one reason is that in the past we had... now that we have the new movement that is established to strengthen new communities and schools, this plan includes that. So it's complex for us to move all the pieces. Every time we make a change in one of the schools, the other schools are affected. So, I want you to know, if we go to the next slide, this plan does a couple of things for the Brington and Wride communities. Just like Guerrero Thompson. Most of the students from Barrington are going to be reassigned to Guerrero Thompson. So, the reason why that subject is important and why it is the majority, we'll talk about it in more detail, is that the state of Texas requires when there is a transformation plan, it
012is an option to resign the students to school. which is turning out better, performing better. So, the reason they're doing well is because of us, because it's our system, not our students. So, I have to break that, I have to do it. So, we're at a point where most students based where they live will go to Guerrero Thompson and the other students will go to Wridge. It will also be a modernized school, and in this way we will be able to increase the number of seats in the area because we will always be covering the entire area, and at the same time addressing a transformation plan that the State requires, and these are the plans, and we will not be accepted for interventions. So, it means that the board members, the superintendent, we know what
013construction does for this community, for our entire city. So, I'm going to stop here to make comments and ask questions. We will be working every day. We have to make the decisions. This is urgent, is n't it? This is happening very quickly. When they can finally hear me. Yes, they can hear me. The systems we have for student involvement, staffing, and also for hiring the principal do not vote as members. If they don't participate this year, we really won't be able to have a successful entry for next year. We need to change it so that it's at the beginning of the semester, so as not to interrupt the students' learning . We need to have the plan for next year ready now, so we are prepared for our families and our students. Hello, everyone. I'm
014Christine Horn and I work for Austin school district operations and I'm going to talk to you about what this means, what the next school century might look like. What does this mean for my children next year? The following year would begin in August 2026. In elementary school, the current boundaries of Barrington are that going to school depends on your address; you will go to Guerrero Thompson or Goodrich. Um, we also have what was mentioned earlier, there's a map, a locator where you can say, "I don't understand what the limits would be according to my address, everything we have is ready, the map locator and we want you to clearly understand where it would be located according to your address." We also have transfers, it says, if your student is a transfer from Barrington Elementary, they
015can return to School Zero and request a transfer to another school. We have other ways to make these changes possible. This is the current limit that Barrington has. in the present. If you live within this area, you could be sonified for Barrington. And according to the plan, what we have is yellow. If they live in this area of the Barrington borders, they would be located, they would be located in Guerrero Thompson. If they live in these areas that look pink or red, they would be assigned to Willich. This is more or less what it would look like, and you can see all this information on our website. Which street is that you see there? The one that divides into two colors. That would be Walnut Creek. It's a stream, right? Actually, Grevide Guerrero Thompson, who
016is here in this place where I am pointing. And Wildridge is in this other place. If you live in this area, it would be Wridge. Next, please. What does this mean for our transformation plan? And Ali is going to talk about this. Thank you, Crisa. If everyone has been involved in these conversations since the beginning of September about the transformation plan that the superintendent spoke about, it is all that the state requires us to do for Barrington because we have the three unacceptable ratings that the school has received for 3 consecutive years . Uh, that's based on the students' performance on the Star tests because Barrington, uh, this happened with Barrington, that's why we have a transformation plan. So, it was proposed to close Barrington and assign them to another school. Most of the students
017in the transformation plan will go with them, will follow them. They say, "The transformation plan isn't going away. It's going to follow the students wherever we go. Most of the students are going to Guerrero Thompson, and a few are going to Wridge. So, they're combining Guerrero Thompson with Barrington when the principal is assigned, after the election in November. In December, the district will determine who the principals will be in the combined communities of the two schools. This is going to happen in December, and the principal will then have the authority to hire teachers and implement the transformation plan according to the criteria. The state wants the staff hired for the school to have a certain amount of experience so they can help raise the students' academic level to meet the criteria. Not all the staff
018at Barrington and the school meet these criteria. They'll probably have to work to get staff who meet the criteria. We're going to freeze hiring from January until next year; we'll be recruiting more teachers. Maybe 500 or 600 teachers." The moment. We want to make sure that when we're talking about this closure and this consolidation, our goal would be to find these teachers. I want to clarify, not just the teachers, it's all the staff— the custodians, the cafeteria workers, the secretaries, everyone. All teachers, yes, everyone would be involved in this process. And I want you to know that the transformation plan that Guerrero and Barrington will have is to be more efficient and have better resources for the school, and we would still be saving money. So, we'll be investing this money in the schools. We
019have 24 schools that have these plans. This consolidation plan is a district-wide effort. We're going to invest half of the money we save in the schools so that they have more counselors, fewer students per teacher, and content intervention specialists. To determine how we're going to use it, we have to see, plan how we're going to use this money. And this would be for the schools that have these transformation plans. We have about four or five questions that we've already chosen from the comment cards. Then, when we're Answering these questions, if you have any more questions, please, we're here to answer them. The first one would be, did anyone comment? [Music] Barrington currently has a bond program, and if they've sent the children to Doby Prikay, it's been updated during construction. In 2022, a new building
020was built, and in the meantime, the students have to be in another building to receive their education, right? This person is asking, Brington is supposed to be part of the bond program. So, we're talking about having to relocate the students while the new construction is underway. Why was Barrington chosen to close, right? Instead of Woodrich. [Music] Nobody was as specific, right?, that this had to be closed. It was one, according to the criteria. We received a lot of feedback, this was discussed, we've updated, and what we've been designing is really going into detail, area by area, and we want to inform you here, and tell you about the transformation plan, and also about the empty spaces we have. In the schools, in the area. Um, also trying to put kids in the modernized schools, like
021Woodrich is being modernized, we're confident that this transformation plan is going to change the accountability results, it's going to improve them. We can also have better enrollment. The other way maybe would n't break the accountability chain. Um, we want to explain that this chain we're talking about is that if you have an unacceptable result, another year, the same, the other unacceptable result is a chain, right? If we have an F, an F, an F, in the fifth year we have to have at least a C. If we have a D, it would be a pause. If we have a D, it would be broken. If we don't break it, the State can, or in fact, by law would, intervene. They would put in their own principals, their own board members, or close the school. So
022we really want you to know that this is a risk we're taking, right? That's why we're working on this according to the bond projects. While we plan together. I mean, what should happen with WR while they're Planning to receive students? That's something that would need to change. So, in order to move forward, what would we do to move that plan forward? And it also tries to reduce the major student movement during this construction, but with the feedback we're receiving, it's not helpful for making decisions. I know something came up in Wood Bridge— questions about bringing PR Kindergarten here—but it hasn't been decided yet where the students would be learning while it's being built, including the Barrington students who would be assigned there. Right now, the plan is for them to go to Doby to continue
023with these plans while the others are temporarily under construction, and we have the ability to adjust, but we can't start this process until the board votes . We have to start with the plan and take the time to decide when we want to start working on it to begin the process, right? But there has to be a vote already. When that happens, then we can move, and this could involve some adjustments related to the construction. So, to clarify, the options we have are to start at Doby Pre-Kindergarten while they're investing... And building in Woodri or perhaps using the Barrington space until they finish construction at Wridge. It's a decision we can't make until we have the vote. If it would be less costly to stay at Wridge and move back. The next question is that
024it's essential that TEA not pressure them to make this decision, which would be a planning problem. In Austin ISD, they should prioritize educators, families, and students in the consolidation plan, not after the decisions are made. Let's take the proper time to make the decisions. How is the district incorporating feedback into this process? This comes from Abili. Okay, very good. Do you want to start? Yes. Part of the reason we're here today is that the input we're getting today, this came from the spring of last year. You may recall, there was a survey asking what matters most to families across the schools. And one of the things you said at that time was that many things can be assumed, but transportation, transportation It's something very important for our community. So, something we were focusing on in
025the plans at that time was ensuring there was adequate distance for arrival and access. Obviously, crossing very large roads is a problem, and we want to be aware of that . So, that input informed the development of what we call the rubric. The rubric is where we see difficulties in our schools. If it's on top of things, and we move from here to specific regions, the difficulties, well, and the options we have at this time. We were able to develop a plan for the community, and we were able to deliver that at the beginning of October, and that's why we're here guiding all the schools to understand what makes sense in this plan we just delivered, what needs improvement, what other solutions exist to create better support, and perhaps you can talk about the timeline.
026Thank you very much, Ali. Yes, I want the families to understand that we desperately want to position the ISTs to be that they have the best possible future. If we don't act right now , we're going to lose time, which is precious, because you can't make decisions in the spring or summer or next fall. You lose time, and you can't adjust the budget deficit. You really can't adjust to the necessary transition plans . Enrollment is impacted. It was impacted here at this school and in other areas in East Austin as well, because we have immigrant families who can't come to our schools because of what's happening at the federal level. There are families who don't want to come because of what's happening at the federal level, and all of that limits the resources we have.
027So, the key is to take it one step at a time, and I want to respond by saying, it's urgent, we have to be proactive. And we've given it a lot of thought, and if we were only looking at the transition plan, it would be just one thing , if it were only consolidation, but the fact that we 're doing it all at the same time means we have a Opportunity. Uh, and so, in order not to focus solely on one area in the city, we have to focus in that way. Finally, what I would say is that there are school districts right now that, for lack of a better word, there are other districts that the state of Texas has already taken over. They are already saying, "I wish we had made this decision
028in the past." We're not going to do that. We will maintain control so that the board you elected can validate how we want to educate the children of Austin. So, it's urgent. Yes, it's urgent. Uh, I don't want to take it step by step. I believe we should give it some serious thought and take it into account. Thank you. I also want to talk about this last point. Which schools are most impacted and how are we supporting families? Ali said, "That's why we're here today. We also have 73,000 students in the district, and we want to hear from everyone how we can do this in an organized way, and even though it's ambitious, so we can respond to all the feedback we receive. So, we've said, 'Are there more QR codes to organize and dedicate
029to people twice a week? Are there any issues we're seeing?' We've also said, 'This change to zone boundaries is strange; it does n't make sense.' We're going to focus on that to see if there's a need for change. But we also want to talk specifically about this to incorporate it. So, if you have any more feedback, we're here to listen, to understand. Do you have any other questions to follow up on this? Thank you. I appreciate you being here, and I hear you telling me that it's urgent and that we need to move forward because I don't feel like we're being heard. I feel like Barrington doesn't feel like they've heard the need. I feel like they've told us everything." What's happening at our school, and they give us the purpose of commenting, but it
030seems to me that it doesn't matter because they're moving very quickly. They're telling me it's just a discussion of comments, maybe it's not an option for the Texas Education Agency , but we have charter schools that want to take students out of the Atenrela system, and that's exactly what the TEA wants: more or fewer public schools and more charter schools. So, I don't feel like they're not listening to us at all. Yes, I appreciate this comment. What I would say is that there are certain firm points that can't be addressed because there are state requirements. If we had two unacceptable inex, or one, or rather, one F or less, or rather, two from 2022, 2021, 2023, we would have had more options. But what was happening? We were coming out of the pandemic. We had
031three superintendents in two years as a system. We weren't prepared to know how to change this accountability system at that time. So, this impression... All the demands of the unacceptable ones at that time were quite difficult for us. This timeline is quite tight because we're thinking long-term, thinking about what a more specific process could give us. And here, thinking about the process, this is the timeline: the transformation plans have to be submitted by November 21st . So, at that point, there were miles to cover, and we couldn't move them. We can't change them. There are points that are very firm that we can't change because we can't change certain things at the point of being unacceptable. Right now in Barrington, we have three Fs, and yes, I hear them, and the agencies, oh, please speak
032to the agency about this or that. But we have more than 20 schools that we have to develop transformation plans for, and yes, I'm asking a lot of the agency, and we're asking for comments and feedback, but I don't want to deliver a plan that the agency won't accept. That, for me, would not be genuine, it wouldn't be real. I want them to know where we are right now , what's coming. I want to come and move forward, to ask for feedback to improve and perhaps refine, but there are certain things we can't change based on the pressure of today. But yes, for those who know, who work with me, the way we're going to move forward, yes, we're going to continue adjusting, but I don't want to spend resources or a lot of time
033arriving at a decision when it's already known that that type of decision has already been defined. I prefer to spend time planning with the communities, with the staff, ensuring that the students have the support, that everyone has the support for the opportunity. I would n't be arguing that if they had the resources, ensuring that the students have what they need. I feel that we're going to recruit more students because they're going to be able to accept the information because we're going to have 60 students, and we're too narrow at the moment. We don't have enough resources across so many schools; we really want to engage everyone, and the process does limit what we can offer and what has to happen. And Matías, I also want to add that you were saying the long-term plan is
034the fact that it 's the blacks that There are plans to create this in 2021 over two years, but it helped us raise the 2022 Title I bonds for economically disadvantaged parts of the city . The work we've done— I'm perhaps very proud of that kind of work—because at each school, we were able to listen to groups of families, in small groups, and they were telling us what was working, what was n't working within the school, and what things are included in this plan, ensuring that this program guarantees quality education for Spanish-speaking families, finding bilingual teachers, having access to high-quality educational programming, and addressing the fact that certain schools with very low enrollment don't have enough of what they heard from the community. So, based on what we have right now and the timeline ,
035what we're communicating to the community right now is for the communities we haven't historically served adequately. There are two other questions here in the comments. How are you thinking about the long-term impact on the children and the community? The project has been a center of pride, a model for many. It's a comment that came from many people, and I'll read the next one as well. Ensuring that the green spaces that are part of the modernization of Barrington are given back to the city, because these buildings have been used as a combination. It's been stopped because it's under construction. The point is that this is also part of an understanding with the city of Austin to have parks. So, yes, these green spaces will be given back to the city. Thank you for this question. When
036we started this bond project in Barrington, it was part of what we had to do. There are several schools that are also in Austin, which also have a shared responsibility with the city. So, we had to condemn this part of the land so that we could become the full owner. So, when we were partial owners, then in The future of the Barrington property, you could say, is a public incorporation. There's a board of directors that involves our school administration and the community itself to determine what we can do with the buildings and spaces that aren't currently in use. We can do one of three things: sell the property, rent the property, or repurpose it. If you've noticed, we 're already doing some things, like Peace Elementary. We're already doing something similar. When I mentioned that,
037we're partnering with Unite Way to provide childcare right now. They have permits, they have grants, they have a federal grant. At this point, we still own that property, but the decision regarding the future of what remains at Barrington and other buildings will be made by the board of directors we 're creating with the community and our board. The most important thing for us is the care of our children, and the feedback you give us while working with all the... who are here right now, uh, what we can do with our community going forward, and developing that future by spending time together. So, also trying to see this semester how we can uh, talk precisely and answer these questions. Well, the question that was asked before this, what do our students need to move forward and
038what does it mean to have this validation to honor the work for this building, the community itself? Yes, it's going to be done, yes, it's going to be different in all the schools and in the transitions we're going to have, but I want to assure you that we're going to work together, come up with a plan to support you and implement it and move forward in the right direction to have neighborhood schools in OSTE. So, these are all the questions that were submitted to us. So, it's simply a timeline of the process of consulting the schools based on starting in April, and so now we have a draft. We're doing digital engagement. Uh, the next important date, there's a workshop that the board put on. On November 6th, they're going to have a conversation about
039the revised version of the plan, and we're going to have The additional conversations. We'll talk about that revised version, and we have an additional plan for November 20th. So, keep that in mind. So, yes, we have to wrap up at 9:45, so that still gives us a few minutes for questions. My question is about special education, the programs. What's going to happen to the program that... well, does n't have that program, so we're... program? What's going to happen? I'll try. My son is in a program here in Barrington, and I want to know what's going to happen, and I know we're going to separate them between WCH and Guerrero. So, what's going to happen to my son? He doesn't have it, and Guerrero doesn't have it either. We have Dr. Cher Lee, who is the
040assistant superintendent of special education. Thank you for that question; it's very important, and thank you to all the students who are receiving special education services . So, special education services are going to continue in this district. If you are receiving speech therapy or occupational therapy, physical therapy, other types of services, you will continue to receive those services, as you specifically indicated, life skills or life skills. Life skills programs that are not currently being offered at the school might be changing. What we're doing with the district is reviewing all the programs, services, and staff we have here. We're going to make sure those services also move to the other campuses, to the other schools that will be receiving them in some circumstances. There may be a situation where your child is receiving specialized life skills or
041early childhood services that aren't available at the new campus and could be reassigned to another school. In the situation, as you said, specialized services are being received here. Most likely, those services will be discontinued at that new elementary school, Guerrero Thompson. That's the most likely scenario. Those teachers will be able to move . Then the staff who are working here will be offered a position at that other school, and it will be a transition to move there. We will be communicating with families in February. You will receive an email from our department, and we will tell you where your child will be going, and we will also be offering additional time in the spring for the The family will visit the school in August so they can also visit and meet their new case manager.
042So, I have two questions. The first is going to be, why, if we have one F and they have one F, why are we the ones who are going to close instead of a school that has all F's? So, I just don't understand. So, without thinking about the Warrior Thomson school, you're talking about any school that was in the same situation as us, not Warrior Thomson, because we are the ones who were chosen to be closed with one F and not one that had F, F, and F's. The state sees unacceptable grades as 3DS or any F or different combinations. So, Barrington already has three. So, they need to have a transformation plan, have the plan approved, and involve their community in that plan. So, why 23, 24, and 25? All compressed into the transformation
043plans. Now we are in a situation where the entrances have been in conflict with Barrington. So, it's a reconstruction plan when they are doing a consolidation at the same time. Time. So, when there's student movement, you have to see where our students are, where they're going to go, and which schools are going to receive the majority of the students. So, Barrington has a number. So, well, that's why most of the students from here are going to go there. We could have had more students go there. The challenge we encountered is that you have to introduce different zones and have a population that is so large of students that it ends up being that it wouldn't be possible to support it long- term. It's not to say Wolver and Barrington, it's that it was always Guerrero,
044Thompson, and Barrington. And once we're clear on that, this is what makes sense in terms of school boundaries. So, that was that division. It was never specifically one school behind. I think that didn't answer my question. What do you mean, didn't? Yes? I think the challenge is because then, for the state, the DF rating doesn't make a difference. So, because then Wrich also has one of those three unacceptable ratings , Wrich also has a transformation plan. So, Barrington's transformation plan is going to go to Guerrero. Thomson and the Barrington students who were assigned to Wridge will be working on that transformation plan with us. So, the question is why Barrington was chosen. Once we looked at all the seating arrangements in the area where we have student movement, and that ultimately all the movement was
045going to happen at the same time, we saw many different situations in different parts of the district when we looked at student movement. Ultimately, that's what will achieve most of the goals we have: the conduit patterns, being accountable for requirements, bringing in students, modernizing the facilities, where they are, in the construction sequence. So, ultimately, that's what was recommended. What I will say regarding Wridge is that it's a school with a much smaller population, and Wridge is further along in the construction process. So, there were many small details that were involved; it wasn't a matter of safety or performance, it was really about bringing all the things together. So, it's simply the real one. So, all three have transformation plans. One is going to be a reassignment, another is going to be a reorganization. The reorganization
046means there will be new staff, they're going to to have to go through a new hiring process approved by the agency. So, it's not going to be the same as, okay, I understand that part and I don't mind switching, but the services for my students. And my second question is, I know this is your third year as superintendent, and I think this is your second time in the [unclear], and the first time I've never seen you in 10 years. I think it's the first time a month ago. I've never seen you. We have principals and other people. So, my question is, why, if we know we're struggling because I know this is in the end, why didn't you come earlier, at the beginning of the year? Why didn't you teach us? Didn't you tell us
047why we can do more? It doesn't matter if you [unclear] then your face is [unclear], and why didn't you come and talk to us? There was another person who came, and other people from the district spoke to us, but as teachers, we want to see you, we want to see you. My colleagues aren't here, of course, they're in the classroom, and I'm here because I made my arrangements. So, why? If it's my turn, I know what's happening in my classroom. If something is happening in my classroom, I'm going to tell the parents. If something is happening at the school, my principal, then why did you show up and talk to us and show that human side? Because we're struggling emotionally. We have to leave our families and our jobs, and it's not easy to start
048over, and we want to feel that human side of you, the head. So, I don't know what's best. I know there are many schools and many situations, and you're just one, but at some point, we as staff wanted to see you talking to us. I'm someone who deeply believes in getting involved and spending time with you. I think you saw how I get involved, and the time I spent was more than any other superintendent has been. So, it is what it is , but I will say we had a moment where I'm trying to be with the community and want to have these conversations, but I also have to make sure that in all the other things we're tackling, we stay focused and Making progress. So, the TA reorder from two years ago, the thing
049that was going to knock Austin off its feet, they almost did that. They almost did that. We're talking here about TA going to take us over two and a half years ago. You guys saw it, and you did a great job, and I apologize for not being around more. So, I've just tried to be where I am, and I tell the principals that's a problem. Because everyone has somewhere to be with hundreds and over schools, I can't be here and feel like I'm interrupting. That's the first and second thing. Everyone is very important. Anyone can have a conversation with me. Number two, I need to know why I'm trying to go where I'm needed. So, I want to be here. But the things we're tackling, the budget, the fact that there are over 20 transformation
050plans, there's this one—this is one of 12 that we have right now. I apologize for not being around more. I've been here more than just last month. I've been here a couple of times over the last two years, and I'm committed to to be here and keep spending more time. So I'm going to say, this feedback is helpful, I appreciate it. So whatever it is for me, I'm open and ready. And it's part of the system, is n't it? It's because I don't want to be here. I'll show up whenever there's family night, I'll show up whenever there's a staff meeting, wherever, so I volunteer. It's not that I'm trying to avoid anything. So, I 'm happy to talk to the staff, so I'd be here. I love this job, and that's why I'm trying
051to do what I can to keep everyone together. So, I believe our staff are part of the solution, and we're going to keep them with us. So, thank you. Why wasn't Barrington given the opportunity to prove his efficiency? And he's talking about Bridge because we're also talking about Doby, Web, and we'd like to have the opportunity, right? It's not that I don't think we're doing the right thing. I think everyone... Jmbros have been working for 2 years. Uh, it's been moving for a year now , the systems are responding, I've seen it, but for the state we have an F F F, right? That's the situation. Well, according to the timeline we have, we don't have much of a choice. The choice for Dobi Web and them was painful, wasn't it? What we had to
052do. We have 12 schools here, we're losing enrollments, we have fewer students in our facilities, so we can't keep doing everything over and over again. We can't, uh, we do n't have the time and we can't do it, but we do everything we can. We are all going to commit to improving the number of students per teacher and giving them all the support they need. We've been trying to make all these changes for Barrington and other schools. There are students we have a certain number of students, but if we can allocate staff, then if we make these changes, we will have better resources. This administration said, you know what? No matter what we have, we're going to try to achieve it. It's about where we are, what changes need to happen, and the recommendations being
053made. That's his comment. It's very important, but also remember that it's a very big challenge, because next year won't be the same, right? Uh, we need to make certain connections, uh, we need to talk to the staff of Tinayes and the community. I don't have too many options. I know, I'm happy, I like making adjustments, right? But we have limitations with that. I know you explained that even though we have a DFF, it's the same as FF. But why did n't you provide that help when we have FS? It's like, no, I don't want that answer . and then a DFD FF. Uh, all this is from 2018, it's like we need to have a pause before the F. I want to say that from 2019-2020, I know a lot of things have happened in
054that time. By 2024, many things have already been done. Uh, these scores had already happened. Well, everything that's been implemented is being moved, but at the moment the problem is that I don't have the options because the state gives us certain schedules, certain times that we have to meet, and we're running the risk of it closing down if the state takes control of our education, of our leaders, right? Then the district would be lost. What I understand from all this is that no matter what we say or think, they're going to close the school. I believe that no matter what we say, what we think, or what we express. Uh, I mean, this decision has already been made in this plan, which is a draft. Remember that not just one element was taken into account;
055it was everything that was gathered to make the decision. So, we didn't arrive at this conclusion by accident, did we? It was a thorough analysis before making this recommendation. I take all comments and that's my truth. I'm speaking honestly, and it won't be final until the vote is taken. We have to submit the transformation plan to the State, and when it is accepted, then we will see what was accepted or not accepted, and it is something that the community submits, and if it was rejected, then we will have these answers. Um, we're trying to put together all these questions that have been asked. Something Cristín was telling me is that in this area we have 4800 places and we have 18 empty places. So, that's why Guerrero Thomson and also Wrich, and we have Woodrich
056in this area. We do n't have many options because Barrington needs a transformation plan; that means it would be either a shutdown or a restart. The same would apply to Warington Guerrero Thompson. We have B , that is, the school that the state wants to see performing well is Guerrero Thompson. So, we're looking at the area to reduce the number of empty places we have and to support and provide the teachers we need; it's under construction. Uh, so there are many different factors that we are bringing together to see what options we have available. I want to talk about your comment. that you are working based on what the Texas agency is deciding. All of this has already been discussed. Uh, I'm going to try to stay calm, even if my children cry. Now my
057concern is that I 'm struggling emotionally. My heart is also connected to the situation with the teachers, isn't it? When they become aware of their feelings and the processes they are going through. My second-grade son, uh now our children have seen them too, the teachers have seen them grow up. I'd like to make sure because I think the consensus is that a lot of responsibility has been lost, right? And the community trusts the district, but we really feel like they have n't listened to us. But I do understand what they're saying, that according to the Texas education agency, this is what we have to do, but we don't like the alternative of a charter school coming here to the school either. My question for you is, I would like you to make a commitment and
058really take care of our teachers because there is a feeling, that is, if the teachers have the feeling that once the school closes, everything is over. We have a long-standing relationship with the teachers. So, I feel for them, right? And I wouldn't agree to them disappearing, would I? I would fight for that. I want them to please commit so that we won't see them again in the next school year . Are they really going to take care of them? Because somehow I feel that they're not going to pay attention to that, because they're going to have to look for work elsewhere, because the district isn't fulfilling that part. That's what I'd like to know, and to make sure it's very clear that our teachers will be placed somewhere else because I don't think they're going
059to have a job, right? And all the work they've done, well, that would be down the drain, right? Uh, it's my commitment. Yes. But remember, the board is also above me. at no time during the 3 years. I really haven't stopped communicating my support for teachers, because I'm always trying to improve planning time. So, I've spoken with them. I can do everything I can for them. In the document we discuss a detailed process of how we are going to take care of our teachers. And of course this is going to happen, each plan will present different situations, based on their experience. Um, there might be a change in programs, but we want to know, will there be a certification requirement for teachers and where we can combine this. Then we can establish the hiring plan.
060Uh, I mean, please, uh, I'm never going to say that we're going to let the teachers go in second grade. At no point when he says we are not moving, we protect the students and the contracts we make. The 88% of teachers is more than 20% higher than a few years ago. This organization does everything possible to protect our teachers. No, we don't want anyone from outside until April. First we want to go through our teachers, do job fairs, and search. Yes. For example, many times he says, "I've lived in Flugerville and I've worked in the South and I want to continue with that. We're going to try, we said, by hiring teachers, but we're going to try to keep the same ones. But I also want to tell you that each school-by-school move is
061different because it has different needs, and we have to decide who will be the principal by December. If I take too long, if I delay the process, January, February, we're going to have more pressure on the teachers. And with this plan, I hope you can see the details that we've implemented, that we've written in the plan. If anyone says something about our teachers, I can tell you that if anyone comes here and says, they have to review what we've done in the process. But that's my commitment. Other questions. What other questions do you have here? One other question, but is n't it fair to move the students from here to another place, to take them to another school, until they build another school? That's not fair. I don't think so either. I was wondering if
062creating a strike would help the board create or be at the point of view of We're going to see if they see us, and it'll be the district's fault that this happened. And it's the district's fault that you, their teenagers [Music], it's the district's fault that students or teenagers are on the streets because of a lack of education. Because they don't have the same system, we don't have a safe place, and we're breaking down what existed. It's our responsibility to educate our students in the city of Ast. Period. Every single student should have access to a high level of education to ensure they are aligned with our school values. To be honest, we want to create good human beings who can walk with others, talk with other students, who are bilingual. That's a superpower. And
063I want to tell you, we have to align ourselves and be very close to the values, but also think about responsibility and the level of responsibility, and we need to be at a high academic level. I don't have the ability to create resources at every point because there are students who need more. Okay, okay, we know, we talk about it all the time. There are students who do need Furthermore, I don't have the ability to make that happen. We've been in this system for 144 years. We have to make a change to create the district we want to build for the next 50 years. If we continue doing what we're doing, we'll be right back where we are in five years, and in another five. Why is it that students aren't getting what they need
064in Austin ISD? I don't want to be a part of that. I want to be part of a system that responds to the needs of the entire community and have the ability to do the necessary work. I'm not going to comment on the strike, but I do want to say that I hear you. I apologize for being in this situation. I never wanted to be in this situation right now. I'm trying to change it carefully, with attention to detail, taking into account all the necessary guidelines. If we don't, if we don't make a change, the change will be made for us. I hope that's a sufficient answer. Oh, and another point I want you to make clear is that you said you were moving from another school, that it's not fair that another The school's
065arrival here. That's another point. Look, if it's going to save us $4,000, I want to be honest, that's resources we don't have, resources we'd be spending on these portable or mobile buildings that are all over the place . I don't want them in these mobile buildings. I want them in buildings where they're safe, where there are systems, where there's teacher support. Yes, I hear you saying it's not fair, but we have to think about that aspect. Maybe we're saving $4 million, we can improve other buildings in some areas, and I know it's difficult, I understand, but it's the reality of the decision we have to make right now. Okay, we have five minutes for another question if needed. Does anyone else have a question? I live across the street, and we're worried about what's going
066to happen. You see the businesses and things that are happening around this area? We're worried that they're going to come and take over. That's the argument for coming with Wridge. We never wanted to close a school. We wanted Working or being in Cooper, knowing what works for the community, what works for Austin. I always wanted to be on these community meetings because we wanted to talk about that, and it's something we wanted to do, find a way, if we can, to create the necessary funds, obviously, right? I mean, we want to have support for the community, to have housing, to have a kindergarten to a certain extent, the childcare centers. But anyway, even if we have to close this building, we're going to make sure that it's operating, that it's safe. We have our own
067police department, so we're not going to close it completely. But the fact that Wris comes here, is present, ensures that this will remain vibrant, that it will remain alive until that Wildridge school is fixed . So you'll know exactly what will be present in this building. From my point of view, it's a way of being both to a certain extent, right? Maybe it's not exactly. That would be my way. I don't want buildings completely closed, and if I'm worried about our neighborhoods too, and our neighbors, uh, but thank you for that comment. Thank you. Okay, I want to show you some resources where you can find something you were thinking about when you were asking us about teachers, where you'll find everything. It's the website astd.org or austinisd.org or bar consolidate. Down here there's an
068option called consolidate. Here we have a guide for educators. It talks about the timeline; we're in the process of translating it, but it's the timeline for finding teacher positions. Okay, so we're choosing principals in December. It's important. I want families to know who their school's principal is going to be . That's why, to provide clarity and communicate. That's why we don't have much time. In December, we start the transformation plan, and we're going to start with teachers in February and March . And in April, each school, as I said, has different transition plans depending on the school, whether it's a transformation plan, or consolidation without transformation. Et cetera, et cetera. So, each color is a different plan. That's what all staff can expect. We had a meeting here in Barrington on Monday, where the executive,
069the executive director of talent and strategy, was here to talk about this process so that the teachers and staff know that we want to support them. So that's going to be the movement we may require, right? Here's the process, and from here we go to this point. So, we're going to move forward. We're going to find a place for everyone. We're working across the entire Austin district. Here it's detailed; it's different in the way. Here are the balances, the percentages. It's very important. It's very important. We're also talking about costs. These are examples of having other staff. Here at the campus, it's a little more, okay. Here's a campus that's going to have more resources. It's an example that they could reinvest the funds and use them based on the needs of each school. So,
070what are the resources in general terms? And here, okay, I'm going to step out here, Okay? Back to the slides, and you're going to go to the website's homepage, the big survey, and the meeting that was held on October 3rd. There's information here, it's in English and Spanish as well. Oh, and lastly, I wanted to show you the review, the summary of tools for schools. If you want to go to the address you have, it will tell you what the proposal is for your elementary, middle, and high school, and the referral pattern they're going to use. That would be... there might be a few changes between now and the vote and the essay. And with that, we've reached the end. To close the meeting, I want to thank everyone for the questions you asked. Hopefully,
071we were able to reach our goal today of listening and understanding where we are at this point, to review the timeline in another way. So, another review for the draft and the plan. Right now, we're going to get to Friday, and next Thursday is the 31st, and November 6th is the final vote. The board meeting is on November 20th. So, once we know exactly what's happening, once they're asking what they need, once we have the board's vote, then we can move forward and give you solid information for WRG and everyone else, and give you more information from now on . Thank you all so much, I appreciate you. We'll be in touch, and next Friday we'll have the updated draft. Check your email, texts, and social media. Thank you all so much. Thank you.