001Okay, then let's get started. I am the last headmistress of the school [applause] and I am very proud of this school. It's essential, and we are very grateful that you have come, just to get a clear idea of what is going to happen in our district and to understand what is happening and the decisions that are being made. And we would like our voices to be heard. So, we're doing this in everyone's best interests, but we want to include everyone in the decision-making process . Uh, I am definitely very grateful to Superintendent Matías Segura and grateful that he is here with us today. I really appreciate it, and so we're grateful that you're going to listen to us here. And what we create, we believe is what the people in the community believe is best
002for the community. So thank you, and well, I'll hand it over now. I'm Cristina Buen, I'm the communications director for the Austin school district, and I wanted to thank everyone for coming before I hand the floor to our superintendent. I wanted to acknowledge the ways in which everyone is here and that they are truly willing to have this conversation. We are definitely here to listen, to hear new ideas, so that we can move forward in the best way for the community. I know Cristina already said this, but you are taking time out of your day and I know this is a painful and disruptive process where our families and our communities are suffering. I want to acknowledge that it's not easy, so I'm very grateful that everyone is here. Uh, we do this with love
003for our communities. I love this district. So I just wanted to let you know that I'm very grateful that you're all here today . I also wanted to start by explaining why we're talking and how we got to this draft. There is a plan in place, you have seen many changes, you have also seen improvements, but for most of the schools in the district, I want you to know that we are not ensuring that all students are receiving what they are supposed to receive. That's the honest truth. Students who look like me, who are Black or Latino in the Osta school district , haven't had what they need for decades or centuries , we haven't met those needs and we understand that. So as we think about who we are, this board, this administration, we
004are desperately trying to break through what has historically been happening. And I want you to know this: it's very, very difficult because the habits we 've built up in the long run are bad, and if we want to move forward and advance in our minds, we necessarily have to make changes. When I think about what we need as a school system, think about wanting to be a strong school and what that means to me, and that means that our families have access in their neighborhoods to schools that meet the needs and respect the true identity of those students. There are communities that have to go, or feel they have to go, to the other side of the city. We have communities that are splitting into different middle schools or high schools, so we thought about
005where we want to be as an organization and how we are going to support the school district. We need strong schools in every part of the city, not just in some parts, but everywhere in the city. And I am someone who believes, and our board believes, that students need different things and in some amenities they need more. And I want to be able to give them those resources. When we took on this job, when we started it, there were five things that we tried to abort all at the same time because they had to be aborted all at the same time . And you know the questions we have. The funding shortfall means I have to make sure that the resources are where they need to be, that is, in the classrooms and with the
006teachers. The federal government, the changes the federal government made destroyed our Title III funds, so many dollars were frozen. When you think about the loss for immigrant families, how they're not being allowed to leave, all of that has put a lot of pressure on the Austin school district. So, when we started this work, there were five things we wanted to address. The first, our strong thinking, and I wouldn't have been superintendent if I hadn't wanted to address this, not only in East Austin, but in West Austin, but throughout Austin, but especially in East Austin, where we don't currently have a feeder system because I have Martin that's going to serve five schools. You can't create communities when you don't have those results. Do you know where you have referral patterns? In some other parts of
007Austin, where all middle school students go to the same high school. So if we want to do this, we have to align the referral patterns and that's why we have to change all the area boundaries. Second, we need to address our transfer policies. We have transfer policies that have been in place for years, decades, but they move people out of the community or away from their community, because there are different things they want, but those things are in different parts of the city. But if we are going to be a community that we believe we can be, we have to be strong in those schools. That's how our families access those resources. So we have to address this issue, and we have to refine it, and we have to make sure that we have control
008and that we don't have local pressures impacting the way we want this plan to go, due to administrative issues. And third, we have to eliminate the budget deficit we have. Yeah, and that's real. We have been working for the last year and a half to lower our expenses. We cut $100,000,000 in recent years. We reduced the size of the office. We have founded organizations, we have taken opportunities to reduce costs, but today we simply have too many schools and we are struggling for the number of students we have. 116 schools with 70,000 students, and I'm going to take you back a little bit to 1996. At that time we had 96 schools with 72,000 students. Then we grew as a city and things changed. Clear. So, we have 20,000 additional openings in the Austin school
009district, and they're not all in one place, they're spread out across the city. So, think about how many slots we have available. There are more slots available. We have more spaces in that building, so that's what we have to see because the way we support our system is by providing the resources. But if we have more slots and more portable ones that cost us more and we 're not putting up the money, where should it go? That is for teachers and programs. Another thing, the accountability system of Texas, uh not the system, not the board's accountability, but the state of Texas's accountability system is too rigid. I say, and I've said it many times, that our students—it's true, our students are much more than what they can take on a test once a year—but those
010are the measures the state uses to ensure that all students are accessing the education they need. So, in 23 after many responsibility processes, we got to this year, there were 30 schools with us, 24 left, the next three due to all the demands, and a few weeks later in August of this year the system moved. The reality is that in 2023, 2024, and 2025, everything happened in the last 5 months. If we don't address the responsibilities and examine the changes, then the State's intervention as it is currently designed will give us fewer and fewer options, and as it continues to receive more failing grades, we have to break it. I'm going to be honest with you. We need to place more responsibility on the students, but it's also mostly the district's fault because it has
011produced these results. We need to do it our way. So, I have to address those changes in responsibility because I told you that the State takes this very seriously. If we don't respond, the State will continue to intervene until the committee and essentially the district, the district committee, takes control. We don't want that. The local leaders you elected need to be in charge of leading the school district. It has to be that way. If they come, it won't be the things we expect them to do. It's going to be very different, and we have to protect our values, and I have to be very honest, and we have to defend this plan too. The last thing I'm going to say is, we want to make sure that every program we support—the dual language program, Montessori,
012and many others—we have to make sure that there is a possibility of moving forward. We have reached the point with the program where the original focus is no longer the current focus; it no longer has the intention for which it was originally created. And if that's the case, we need to make adjustments. We have the student population, who would be the ones to bear the consequences. There are many pieces in this program, as we recently sent you a letter, outlining the guidelines and guidelines. I'm very frustrated that we're here now and sad that we 're here, but not doing something isn't an option to get to this point where we are. I 'm going to change, but one thing I'm not going to do is not make changes. I am here as superintendent and I
013am part of the committee and I am one of those who want to move forward and make real change. make the plan for Oxsprings. I'm going to tell you one more time, and I'm very frustrated, that we are here today because in 2022, the committee built a new school. I was part of that work. That's what I wanted. That is what we collectively wanted when we arrived at the plan that made the recommendation for change. One of the things we have to acknowledge is that there weren't as many students living in the area as we wanted. Everyone in the neighborhood came to the school that was being built for them. That was the correct answer, the honest one. And we looked at all the schools in the surrounding area and thought about the alignment, the
014demographics, the culture, the logical way to be able to establish the plan. And the reason is that all the previous arguments did not align with current reality. We have heard through the plans we made long-term and through the years that the stories, the historic schools have been here because it was something that had to be preserved. That's why we went that way, that option. I want to have conversations with this community. I want to make sure everyone is listening and that we care about our team, our leaders, who are our friends, and that we move in an ethical manner. And I want to have dialogues that you know about so that you know where we are, that we are committed to improving. What I can't do is nothing. I just want to pause and share
015with you and create this space for you in case you have any questions and tell us what would help us transition to this new space or what options you would like us to consider moving forward, because I am committed to exploring those new options. We have some comment cards. I think the director, the female director, we can start with them and we can talk about them. While we continue the conversation, if you agree, it's your time. Whenever you're here, start doing that; we can pause and do something else as you wish. Just so you know, we have Spanish interpretation services, so we only ask that you speak directly into the microphone so we can hear you well. Thank you for coming here and for talking to us. This school, as a Title One, has the
016most vulnerable students, and I was happy to see the consolidation plan and the plans that were in place for the future. But one concern I have, even for our fifth-year students next year, is trying to understand the plans we have at Oxsprings. We have expectations, perhaps a concern, about whether the programs will continue for the spring semester, because we've been talking with members of the neighborhood and the community about the junior and senior students, and some students are as far away from home as 30 minutes away. And what plans does the school district have? Well, I know that the district's plan has always been to integrate students from the neighborhood, and there are many young children here who depend on us to arrive on time to pick them up at the end of classes and
017get them home safely. Sorry if I get a little emotional. Thanks for sharing. I just want to make sure that I understood your question regarding the student movement. What was the question? We as the district have the ability to provide transportation and make adjustments based on the needs of the students, right? One of the things I heard throughout the plan's progress is that the students here are going to face challenges in order to get into the after-school program. That's one thing we can consider, providing that transportation. This is where the home team comes into play. I do understand that the students are new, where are we going to be able to take transportation to ensure that this is done in a way that I can support or where the students also feel comfortable? But we
018also have to see it as a whole and have a conversation about it. I can say that we can provide transportation, but I don't know what form the transportation will take. Yes, I would say yes, yes, yes, yes, but the question sounded different simply because when you started the plan it was projected for 2027, but there would be a period then that would be missing, but this would happen until the spring of 2027, but I think we are no longer on the original plan. What is the chronology or the timeline? In the documents we saw recently, we are exploring the opportunities for Blacksher and Oxsprings schools and reviewing and finalizing or making recommendations to have these conversations with you, but it sounds like you are suggesting or that we look for a way, not only
019that, but also how Blacksher school is going to move to Oak Springs. definitively. Just make sure it's going to be heard through the microphone, please, because Blacksar itself is getting a lot of support because the upkeep of the school is also very expensive. Why not put that budget in and bring the budget here to this school? Well, we had a meeting recently and it was something that was mentioned and something that provided the discussion to be able to bring the necessary documents to bring these conversations about Blacker Special School. We talked about it, and to make sure we were on the same page, I'm supporting this community, and as long as we continue with the plan to unify those two schools, I also want to understand more about what it would look like in the
020future, because I want to say, to the best of my ability, I appreciate your feedback. Anyone else want to talk? I have a student who is on a 504 plan and before coming to Oxsprings it was a very good school and still has a very good community. No, it wasn't going badly. She was n't doing well, sorry, she was doing badly in her studies, and it was very good to bring her to this community. Everyone knows it's on the east side of Austin, and I was afraid that I wouldn't do well in this school, that I wouldn't be able to get out of that isolation I was in , because they have the smaller classrooms, they have a lot of one-on-one education with the teachers, and everyone does very well in this school. All the
021children with the teachers know each child by name [applause] and since then their grades have gone up. Every day I hear something good about their teachers, the principal, and the vice- principal. Everyone has good things to say about her, and she has helped them a lot and with enthusiasm, so she feels good about herself. Not only that, I don't know, but everyone else, but I'm afraid that we're all a family that grew up here. Some children who have grown up here have graduated from the east side of Johnson High School. So many people have grown up here, and I want that for them. I want that community. I don't want it to be today. We already saw in the government assistance projects that when she lives across the street and comes to this school. It's
022very different, like the way she's going to cross the street on her way to school, and I want that for her. [applause] It's not just that living across the street from the school isn't either. But what has been created? It has been created here. These children come here and many of them come from broken families. Many of them come from single-parent families. There are children who have been raised by their grandparents, and the grandparents raise their grandchildren so they can come to school where it is a second home and people love the children, they protect them as if they were their own. That's what we want. And you know what I said, you guys are putting billions of dollars on the side here. We have a school that could grow and grow and bring in
023a larger community. Why waste all that money the school district put on that land next door ? That was shocking. It was something that the entire community from here to Highway 35 had children in the Marshalls apartments. They don't even go to Blackshiar school. They come here. Why destroy a community simply because it cannot invest in the schools we already have? We have the teachers here. They are the ones we can talk about how much teachers are paid. Our teachers deserve to be paid more. They not only deal with educating children, but also with other problems. They are fighting for our children every day. And I just want you to know that we are with you in the fight for our children. I really want this for my granddaughter . That's all I have to
024say. [applause] I'll answer quickly and then I'll take more questions. If you can come to the microphone, please. Yes, I was born. I grew up here in the community and I was thinking, are we the oppressed and they are the oppressors? There's no way it can work with Blackshad, and I know that's changed with immigrants too, etc., but would n't it be better if they brought their children here? And what do you think about that? Because I know that school isn't what it used to be . Uh, yes, I want to answer that and then answer the other question because I want to make sure they are heard. So, earlier when I said how we arrived at the first draft of the plan, that was in response to exactly everything that's happening. And what I
025learned while spending time with the community is that this matters when I'm trying to learn how to make changes to refine and learn. They've been saying it for so many years, look at the historical sites and you're going to make changes, make sure. When conversations have taken different paths, it's also like it does n't have to be what it was, but we don't know, we're always moving forward as long as we're moving in the same direction. I'm going to support that. So I want to make sure that what I do best is what's best for both communities. I fully support putting students in more modern facilities. This is our commitment, and that's why we're here too. That's part of the work I lead. So no, that's not a possibility off the table, but I want
026to make sure I spend people and time here. Do the same in Blacksheet, such as having the meeting with them. There are two schools, but with more than 100 students it's not viable. So, we need to see how we, as a community, can come up with a joint plan to move forward. So, that's the work we want to do today, and that's what I would put in the documents, and we're still looking at that. But what I want to understand is that, what do I have to do to make sure that other concerns that may have brought us to this point don't repeat themselves, like what would actually meet the needs of the community, and that's what we need to measure, and that's what we'd like to talk about. So, of course, what you said
027is what we want for our students, and I love that you shared that with us about the students here at Offsprings, and I couldn't agree more. And we, and the board, have been fighting to make more investments in our teachers. In 2023 we had one of the largest salary increases in history. In 2024 we also increased compensation, so we need to continue raising those salaries because we need teachers to be able to live with the current cost of living. So, I want you to know that you are being heard, and I want our community members to know everything we've discussed at the meeting here, and to improve that again, the salary increase in 2023 and 2024, so we are going to keep fighting. I want the money to go to the programs and the teachers,
028not to the differences we have between us. We have one more question. Speaking of the historical process, it's not about the building, it's not the building, it's what the community does, it's the people who make it happen, who forge history. like Mr. Miller, like René, I too [applause] who was here for 14 years. So, we shouldn't lose sight of that point. It's not the building, it's the people that make a community. [applause] Thank you. I know she is very brave. I don't want to be in your position. I just want to say Blackshe has a lot of history for the African American community. AFC too, and there has to be a way we can bring the two together because I don't want us to lose what was lost in Anderson. I don't want to lose
029what was lost in Kilin. I grew up on the hill going up and down for this community. This community is important to me. I don't want to see Oxsprings disappear. That's why this whole community is changing so much that even if we wanted this for our children, our parents, we also saw the parents' council. Our parents cross the street; they have no transportation. Many of them have disabilities, many of them can't drive, and I do n't want them, guys, to be proud of the building they're going to. And they say, like, like, listen to the children, like they never have anything new. I've actually already noticed a difference because there are schools that look so much better than mine. I understand it has to do with the budget, but do something. Let's talk to the
030blackmailers. Perhaps they can help with that. Suddenly they can use it as a way to feed the school and we can, I don't know, find a way to work together. The children are the same. We can talk about those, we can have those programs. Are you talking about so many programs? So, let's have a program and let's have the language, let's have Spanish, let's have German, uh, I don't know, and let's work together on the system, well, the referral system, and we can track our children. We've been relegated to the east side, so we know our kids are title one here. I highly doubt that many Maplewood children go through the difficulties that our children go through every day. Every day we have children here, we have gunshots in the neighborhood, we have a father
031who is arrested for something. Our children have different kinds of difficulties and we want to give them something that will make them proud of their community. They see million-dollar houses being built, but they're for them, not for everyone else, not for our children. And that is my passion, not only as an educator, but this is my community and I want to see it thrive. And why do we have to get rid of our most historic school that has protected Latinos and Black people? And why do we need to find a way to work together? Didn't you hear the comment? If you have the money and the resources, well, if you're not in the spotlight you're fine, but it's always us who have to sacrifice and we have to have the most difficult conversations, right? There
032has to be a solution where we can keep both schools because both were built for a particular service, which was to serve us. So, well, this really breaks my heart. Thank you for your comment and thank you also for being there a couple of nights ago and a couple of weeks ago. So, I want, I just want you to know that I love this school district and I love how we as a board and as an administration have made historic decisions and that we have been forced to make these decisions. I'm working in East Austin and I'm really working hard to preserve what is the school district in the East area and we've fought with that, with the board. So, you'll always find in me someone who wants to protect the eastern part of the
033school district. But when we think about these two schools in Oxpr and Blackshe, the reality is that there are so few students, and when we talk about the other things we have to work on or go through, it's that if a small thing goes wrong, and that means if a family moves or if something happens, the accountability system is going to be directly impacted, and it's like a snowball effect. And that's where we lose resources because the system isn't built for the people who are with us, and that's the harsh, cruel reality. So if we want these children to succeed, we need to bring more community together. When we talk about having them in two separate schools, I don't know, I don't think we have the ability to do that. I do believe there is
034a way if we work together with BL and the community to put this action plan in place, but I don't think we have the ability to keep two schools open for fewer than 200 students. That's very hard. Have you thought about creating some kind of program to bring them to our community? For example, there are other schools in the west, bringing them to our community, and so we bring, we drag these children here to these kinds of schools. Yes, we can. This community should have something for them. Uh, there should be something that doesn't require another community to come in to succeed, and that's what I think should happen. But at that point we move away from the point with all the pressure of the adjustments we have to make in the next steps and
035we can be creative in changing the purpose and things we have done. I've spoken with the communities; we want to make sure the buildings are full of children. We can do those things, it just wouldn't be the school in the same way it was before, but that doesn't necessarily mean it has to disappear. That's a very difficult conversation we can have, except that we can't have two schools open for fewer than 200 students and keep schools open, because when another year passes and we have certain ratings in the accountability system, that's what will force us to close, not because we want to, but because the State will close it due to the low ratings in the accountability system. Yes, I do want to have that conversation and I do want to receive those ideas, but
036I'm with you, I agree with you. We need to fix that and we need to keep relying on our strengths. Okay. Okay, let's move on to the next question. My name is Peg and I'm here. The reason I'm here in front of you is because Tiara told me she was going to come and talk to me, but I needed help, support. So let me say this. Nobody in this community should stand there alone, and that's why we love community and we're here as a community for the community that is being directly impacted, and I am part of that community, and the reason I say that is [laughs] because I'm one of the few people in this room who has been here in the east for 55 years and I've seen it change. I live down
037the block, we do the ministry there with the team and we know that the school is a foundation for the families that come here. Many of the families who come to this school also go to the church where I have the opportunity to be a pastor. So, that's the thing I wanted to ask, because I love the fact that the board is having these conversations about a possible link between Blackship and this school. That would be a great conversation that needs to be kept going, but it's not just like we have to lose, but we also want to use Blacksha for early childhood education, for example. not in the way that it can serve to serve, uh, generating and strengthening the community, how the community can also be part of the process, and uh, it's
038important that you listen to the voices of people who come from so far away to get here . We don't want to see these schools closed. And my question is whether we've had this conversation. I want total transparency. We had a conversation earlier, bringing together 20 or 30 people on behalf of the entire community, people who have been living here, but we absolutely do not want anyone to be severely impacted by the school closure. So we support this community. We are here to support people, so please if you can stand up, we are here to support the community. 20, 30 people here as a group supporting the process because we are part of the community. So my question is, if we invest in this community because I do believe we see a low presence here
039and it's because we haven't invested in the building, if we're not going to invest in the community, in the people. So why would people want to come to this place? It has been a long time without any investment in the community; quite the opposite. And we see investments all around us, but we don't see anyone investing right here. So, my question is, is the school district willing to work together with us? Because we do want to support them. We really want to be a support to you, the superintendent, and the entire school district. But do you support us? It's possible that the school district will invest in this school, that Blacksher and Oxbgs will have a conversation about the possibility of all of us being together in a new school, for example, and also jointly
040envisioning what we're going to do with the school's historical legacy. And that is possible, and I'll end with this. I know that many of my relatives went to Blacksher, a lot of my family, my father, so I know that the school is an important historical factor, so I don't want to leave that out, but I also don't want us to leave out Oxsprings, the people who live right here on the street, who live in the neighborhood, and I'll leave it at that. We see three different processes happening, three different ones, and we saw kids dropping out of school. We 've seen them, Shan. And once again, a day after the shooting, you know you can't blame the police. So, we're saying that we don't want to invest in a community that's already going through difficult
041times. I know that's not what you're saying, so what I 'm hoping for is that you'll give us a chance to work with you. This is how you can succeed, because you have to be successful for this community to be successful. So that's my only question. They are willing to partner with us, with the community, to ensure that we can build a new school together with Black, as they do, with all they can contribute and help this community with. They need to partner with you in the community because we need to ensure that the Black Springs school meets to have full transparency. Yes, we met Leticia Drinks. That's exactly it. Yes, that's it. The reason I want to say this is because I want you to know that when we hear something and think there's
042an opportunity to do it, we start working on it. I know that the project needs to be started, but we've had the conversations back then, but we're working on it and when you partner with us and the Blackshe community and what happened, you already have my attention and I'm going to be there, it's going to have to happen quickly. And the reason is because the State requires the State's requirements for accountability. One of the things that have to happen because there are going to be movements. But the question is, where do all of us fit in? As you said, we need to make the necessary changes to the construction. We have to take into account the requirements of the states; we have to take certain steps. As we said before, we have to be there,
043if we have to literally join hands at the hip, we're going to be able to do it. Well, give a round of applause to the superintendent. The meeting in Blacksher is on Monday, right? I've been there , I think it's Monday, and if it's not Monday, well, we'll find out when it is, but we've already had quite a few meetings done, 20 or 30 at Oxsprings. They are part of the community, they want to make sure they come and we can have a meeting on Thursdays for the community too, but another part is we can invite that to the Blacksha school to be part of it because bringing together is the intention is to create spaces and have conversations and learn from each other. So, it's not about pushing an agenda, but about coming together.
044And we have a board meeting that night, the 13th. I said, Thursday or Friday. Thursday. Thursday is the 14th, Wednesday is the 13th. It's the 13th. Next Thursday. Okay. Next Thursday. Tomorrow is Thursday, next Friday is the plan update. We're going to meet. I just want to make sure that we're going to meet regularly because there are certain deadlines that we have to meet, and the board knows this because the reconsolidation plan is due by November 20. That's what the state requires by November 20, and everything we 've discussed will be communicated to the schools. We have both options. As the communities progress, we can take them to the plan commissioners and show them the feedback because that's how we do close, collaborative work. We're constantly improving, but at some point, with all the meetings
045we've had, we need to post the information and see what it looks like on that date. But I want to have a specific date set so we know. I'll print it out for you on the date shown, but we're all considering the 13th to talk together because we need to move quickly since the meeting is next week and it would be very good to have a meeting on the 13th to get it ready, because there's already a council meeting on the 14th. It would be better to do it on the 13th. Okay, thank you. [applause] Just so we're all on the same page, on the 14th we have to post the final plan of recommendations because we have to finish it by November 20th. So the date is getting a little closer , but I
046think we will continue to talk about this. And what is Friday? To be honest, it has to be before then because we have to translate it and make it all accessible so that it's on the website, and it should be finished by Wednesday. Okay, let's get organized and plan everything better so that it works. Yes. Hello, I'm Tiara Clark and I'm one of the parents at this school. I have two children and as I was thinking, there's a percentage of children who come to this school. I'm trying to talk because I want to cry. Who would have thought they would be? Sorry, but I can't hear you because the microphone isn't near your mouth. The question is, will we be able to keep all our children in a safe place? The transition is in the
047details. We are committed to supporting everyone. Let's make sure that all students transition to wherever Plan A, Plan B, or wherever we decide. We'll all arrive together, but let's be very clear on where we are. Where is Tesa? Here is Station. She is the person who is checking and verifying the equipment and the equipment we have ensures that all transitions occur and that the children are sent where they need to go. that we consider investing all the resources we can in mental health support, all the things we can think of for students, the well-being of students. This goes beyond just an automatic change; it's not just about holding parent-teacher meetings, but about what the student needs. The plan requires bringing your community and Blackshir together to see what the children need. So, we don't have
048details to answer because what happens here would be different from what happens in other schools, but I am committed to the board that one thing we need is time. We need time to plan and have everything ready by November 20th to build the plans and ensure they are supported and include the voice of the community, and by the spring semester we can send the resources and be ready to start with some adjustments during the summer, and we have the rest of the year until the 26th to be able to start from a good place. It's unlikely that decisions will be delayed or that we'll agree on a plan until spring. We needed to be doing the work already, that's why we 're doing it this way. which one is? Sorry, I can't hear. I have
049been very clear, and I want to make sure that we are clear, that at no point along the way have we said that only a professional teacher is going to ask for their work, is going to perch. That's the first thing. And I also want to say that from my point of view, the staff classified as custodians and cleaning staff are part of the school community. school district employees will be supported only to begin with. When we think about employment plans, well, each employment plan is going to be different because the transition plan, the requirements require this specific plan, we have certain contingencies and requirements that we have to meet, not only from us, but from the state of Texas. I have to make sure that the teachers hired have at least two more years
050of experience, for example, according to the requirements, but once we have all the positions filled, it becomes, well, what would be the teachers' preference? There are certain services, there are teachers who say, for example, I live in this area, but I like to go to another school. They can be placed in the location they prefer if they need that type of employment. If that doesn't work, we have trade fairs to help us reach an agreement . Within the Austin school district alone, we have one in February, one in March, so that everyone has a home, a location, and we see what the communities need, and through the next spring semester , we're going to send everyone to the location, we're going to do outside hiring until April. That is our commitment. We hire a lot
051of staff every year, we have the ability and we don't need to because of the size of the schools to be able to fill the positions we have and I am very focused on being able to meet these dates and these goals. Alright ? But Osill is also the only support we have here. Springs is the school itself, it's not the people, it's not the place. I've been through a lot, I just want the students to be okay and I want my children to continue being here, but we're waiting for everything to be alright. And I love this school. I love her very much and I want you to continue. I just want. I went to Blacker and have been in this community because I want to, because we've been through a lot in this
052community, but it's a small community. It's been somewhat destroyed, and that's what I've seen, and I think the council has been responsible for running some Austin students out, so many students have had to switch to Mainor, for example, and to Travis schools. That's my problem. That's why the Austin school district council doesn't try to defend itself and stand up and say, "Yes, you can tear down, for example, apartment buildings and all that stuff that I don't care about, but you're also destroying our communities, the communities our children have built in Austin . That's what worries me about the Austin school district . My kids saw this school, and the Independent Institute schools are n't stable, they're clearly not stable, and other schools are taking over the community, and that's the reality. We do n't have
053enough schools. I know that test scores are also a factor , but when are you going to mention the real problems we have every day? For example, we do n't have a band because they do n't have the support. They only have two classes that support the band groups. No, they're not even doing college preparation. And other parents say, 'Well, let the kids go to a charter school,' but they're not giving them any advantage either. Once they leave this elementary school, which is founded by the State, find a way to accelerate and be in this community. The first thing I want to say is that I and all the council members see this all the time, and we've advocated for it in the legislature with the city council. We're in an environment where responsibility and
054housing are things we don't control, but rather things that impact us and have hurt us. But I do want you to know that we are trying; the entire board has been advocating for this, and all of this has been a long process, not just now, but for years and years that we've been trying. Oh, sorry, someone is speaking in the background without a microphone. I can't hear. Yes, I understand, I understand the process that the school district has to go through, but also the needs of the neighborhood in particular. It's about distributing resources to those who need them, and again, they would have to start in elementary school. And if you don't build education from the ground up, of course there are going to be failures from there onward to the higher education level. And
055that's why referral patterns are so important because scheduling those... School transfer pathways, if they're not aligned, hurt us. So, the board and I are trying to fix this, and it might take a little longer , but we will align them. LBJ and North East—we've invested in and supported those schools so much so they can get to the point of being as strong as possible. And North East had an F in 2023, a D in 2024, and now a C, and other schools as well. Yes, in-person attendance has increased. We've invested in the science program there, and it's moving forward. So, yes, I clearly want to create an alignment so they can continue their focus from elementary to middle school. We want that transition to be smooth. So, we're working on it, and this disruption has
056caused changes. So, right now, what's working, we have to maintain. LBJ and North East have done an excellent job, North as well, so, well, I just wanted to share this. Thank you. Our question is, we're going to need the language interpreter... Signs. This is very difficult for me. My oldest son transferred to Blacker School and had a very bad experience. So, my question is, how can we ensure the safety of our children when they go to Blacker after they've become comfortable here at this school? How do we know we can prevent bad situations from happening with those transitions? And I feel like if we go to that school with a label, and if they talk about being in a program or something, it might create a negative impression. And well, I just want to ensure
057the safety of my children. Excuse me, bullying can happen in different types of schools, and I don't want anyone to think it only happens in one specific school. We in the Austin school district have been very intentional in training our principals and teachers. Every time we see it, we provide resources to the student so that the bullying doesn't continue , but it does happen. So it's not necessarily always a school-by-school thing; it can happen in different types of places. Now, regarding your specific question about Springs and Blacker coming together, that's why it's so important. And the footprint we're making because we want to bring these communities together, and we want to see that we're making the right observations to build. The way you don't do that successfully is by ignoring the community and not taking
058the surveys into account. Yes, if you want to jump in here to the conversation, welcome. I hear your concern, and I know, and I want you to know, that's the heart of it. Um, we—I want to tell you—we take, uh, like glasses. We see with those glasses all the mornings. The students participate in a morning meeting, and that's a way of participating or building community. It's a time to share the things that are important to them, and it helps them find common ground. So a lot of our bridging work is very intentional with, uh, what we say in these morning meetings, including welcoming or inclusive, and uh, we continue to reinforce this concept throughout the entire instructional day at school. I have a second question. I wanted to ask, like, what if they don't want
059to come here? If we're forced to go there? I think the other question would be Um, if the school programs they offer are so good, if there's a way we can have that opportunity to participate in the programs, is there any assurance that that can happen? Um, if we try programs based on the needs of the students in the community, then it depends a little bit on Oxsprings' and Blacker's plan, and we have to understand what the needs are, and we can easily move programs. We just have to make sure we have the space to support it and that we can actually do it. But we really want to offer the things that students need, where they need them, especially in these communities where there have been historical inequalities. Um, I'm committed to doing the
060work of determining where we're going to end up, and that's why these conversations are so important. And again, this isn't a done deal; these conversations are very important, really. And I think it's in our best interest for all of us to end up here, and we don't close the school because it's not fair to all of us who have so much of our lives invested here. Thank you. Pray every day. You said Something. One thing you said is that if they take over the school, then it wouldn't be what we expected. But the district hasn't done what we expected them to do. Oh, maybe they've done things, but this is going to be the second time this school has had to face the district wanting to close it. They're not going to look at Del
061Valle. But why? We can't understand why they always come wanting to close this school. I don't know. If you guys think about it, you can come and give us some explanation, but why are you coming to close this one? You have Marshall, you have that, it 's a lot. The other thing is, and I hold you responsible for the first F in the study. The second one was under your supervision. You should have built the school up all this time. So you don't need to look at the schools that have Fs, not close the ones that have Fs, but how to elevate them. And once you elevate them, then you can start talking about boundaries, consolidation, and so on. But at least you need to focus on the basic, active, practical issues of the School.
062The plans they have are ridiculous, are n't they? And it's not that we have expectations about Black and Latino kids, it's like we know we can do it. I've seen it, I've seen the target, how we're targeting, and how this is especially for Black and Latino kids, but especially Black kids. Because in science, the targets are lower for Black kids than even for special education. And no, don't look back because there are numbers, and no, but you can go, you can go and check the numbers, they say it. Um, we're talking about, like, there was a science program and they were so excited about it, but the targets are low. 17, 18%, 20%. Go, go and check, and you'll see. And the other thing, if you can put a pause on Brown, Maplewood, Punds, and
063the limits, you can also put a pause on everything else. And all you're saying is that white privilege matters and nothing else. Privilege matters and nobody else matters. And I was saying that when I was on the board, and I'm saying it now. And It's not what they do to us, it's not for us, it's against us. Hello. I'm going to respond to that, but well, there are several ways to look at this. First, I want to communicate that in the West District, we do n't have very fixed goals for the entire population, and the children who have historically been disadvantaged, Black communities, we have based our goals according to demographics. It's honesty, but we have to continue with the goal. Our ultimate goal is to continue with the plan. There is something, if I
064had any new option, I could have shared it tomorrow, but we have already exceeded all the resources we have and all the options we had, and we have always been impacting the special education student community more for Black communities, and we have been successful. I have the resources, I have the goals, but we don't have enough resources to reach the goals because they are very short in height, but they are very long. It's just that we want to... there are others, there are other schools that don't have programs that this school has. We have to add programs. That's the challenge, it's the number of students we have and that They live in this area. I want to find a solution to address all the existing problems. I want to work with you. We have that
065commitment. I just want you to know, I'm willing to do the work. Okay, very quickly, just to clarify a little. Before we run out of time, I want us to talk a little bit about the Greenwork we're doing and what the foundation of this whole project is. Before we continue, well, one of the things we 've discussed with our commissioners and the committee is what schools can expect to have, and to ensure what the experiences of students in all schools will be. You know, if you go to this school, you're going to have this type of education, this type of rigor, and these are the expectations. We go to different schools across Austin, and I know they have different expectations because I've seen it. It's unacceptable, and you can see it at work. But that's
066not just the responsibility of the educators; it's not the responsibility of the teachers. I have to create a system that ensures we have rigor, expectations that are appropriate for the culture where everyone is looking at the color of your skin. You have the opportunity to... To succeed. No, we haven't succeeded at what we 've worked so hard for for 144 years. We need to move forward, and to do that, we need resources. We have to be aware of our plan, and we have to see what changes are necessary. We ca n't suddenly emerge free of all this weight without finding some changes. That's part of the plans, the hard work we do, and I've always said that all of this is urgent, urgent, urgent, but it has an order. And to continue with the system,
067so that we can understand where we stand , the support systems align with the curriculum, and all the plans continue, and to continue, we have to continue for the spring semester so we do n't have the same vision. It's something we want to do, and it's one of the things we're facing, and it's very difficult to complete because all of this is literally right here next to us, and I want you to understand this. Of course, we're working with this vertical team. This is the curriculum expectation. These are the things that work. If we go to this school, they're going to have a librarian, they're going to have the supports. necessary. Right now, we ca n't guarantee it because we don't have the resources. And that's one of the points. My name is Victoria, and
068I am a member of the SAC here in Oxsprings, and I just want to get down to brass tacks with the parents. Our school is safe for the students because all three of my children have come to this school in Oxsprings. And as a member of the team at this school, I can say that this school is safe. It's a very safe school in the Austin school district, and it's a very safe environment. My children go here, and even though my oldest son went to the other school, Emily Elementary, when he came here in fourth grade, we saw the change, and I want you to know that we are safe. It's a very important pillar of our community. So, I just want to talk about the student safety percentages. Blackshare Elementary has a very high
069percentage of students walking home, and many times they need help with transportation, but they trust us to escort the students because they know they will get home safely. Over the past few months, we have had There are problems with some students who have been attacked, and two have been hit by cars, and these are significant concerns. There are also families living in the nearby area who sometimes don't hear the warnings about approaching trains, which is worrying. Thank you for that. We can provide what happens in terms of the plan. We can make changes to transportation routes and see how that works, and that's what's happening locally for our students and what they go through in front of the schools to get home safely. If we're going to provide transportation, we need to ensure that intersections
070and street crossings are safe, and we can set expectations beyond this, and we have . Our team is working with you to have a safe plan and consider all options. That's what we have to do. We don't want any student to be unsafe coming to this school, because sometimes you have to make a different option, a change of plans, but we are working on it with the safety plans. I just want to make sure we are all on time because we only have interpretation until the 5 and make sure the questions are heard. Okay, I'm going to say this again. My concern is that I've seen what we've seen through Mir School's middle school transition and the transition from elementary to middle school. I've heard in the mornings too, because I live close by, because
071it's silly to say why it sometimes takes a couple of weeks to make a decision and make a change and be able to destroy centuries of community history. And we've been told that you have until the 20th of this month, so it's literally in two weeks. And what plan can they have for the schools to go through the changes? What we've learned from Doby Web schools, because we already had the same conversation, those transition plans, we were giving them time, I think, until February 19th of last year, and we were at odds with Doby, and a month later when they told us that we have to work on the other schools, Wavy Burn, because it was partly in the plan. The reason I'm mentioning that, mentioning that, is that what we learned from Doby, if
072we're going to do something right, and something I've always believed, we need time to To do it, we had time to plan it. And in the spring, we had to have the votes by June 20 because the decision was due by June 26. We had two and a half months to have the conversations and build the plan. The reason the 20th is the deadline is n't because Matías wants it to be the 20th, but because the state of Texas requires that the transformation plan for three schools, which includes Oxsprings, has to be submitted and accepted by November 21. The state of Texas requires it. So, not everything we're going to do can be built into that plan—we can expand it, make changes, refine it, and improve it. But the elements in the plan that have
073to be included to move forward have to be accepted by the 20th. That's why the 20th is a fixed date. If we move through the process, there are many things we're working through. I want to mention that there's time pressure, but I'm trying to find the space to work, work, and finish it. But that's because the date is set. I I can't move it. But why do we have to do something that needs to be done and hasn't been done? Well, the plan was given to us on October 3rd. The plan—that's a conversation we had on October 4th and 5th—and we've been meeting after meeting after meeting, three across the district, and we've had conversations about what the plan is that we have in front of us. It was only up to us to participate
074all together, but as we've been talking together, meeting, we've gotten feedback from the community, the comment cards, and analyzed them. And it's not that after having this meeting I say, "We can't do it," it's that we've explored all the possible causes, possibilities, and I say, yes, we can continue, and the alignment between Black Shear, the schools, and Springs, we can have these conversations, and we've been working on it, and I'm not going to say that it doesn't have to happen at a certain meeting, but it's very important for me to be in all the meetings and listen to them and know that I also have a responsibility. I heard that when it came to the Dobi school, there were options, but they only gave three choices, and none of them seemed really beneficial to the
075community. There were three options: resignation to another school. We had that conversation, we talked about it, we're going to have the conversation. It's not going to be an address here. go because the community had to share their comments. I listened, I learned, and I adjusted. The next question was, can we restart the school that had to be partnered with the Austin school district and the entire population and all the school teams voted, but some things are out of our control, this told me that the only option I had and that was the one I really believed was to restart the school with the Austin school district controlled. But, for example, we have primary schools that were not secondary schools, which are usually smaller in population. High schools are different. We have high schools and middle
076schools. And that's why those decisions and opportunities were available then, and there are different ones now. Just to end this comment, I can't see that I have schools with diverse demographic groups that haven't made these decisions and nothing has been implemented in these schools and areas. They have n't had any problems. What are we investing in the community and what are we not doing compared to them? For example, the Healing school in Walm Creek and in neighborhoods that I've seen that have nearby areas here, that have a much nicer and better cared-for community, and because we can't be there and our schools are getting smaller and smaller, as you said, now we have to make a decision, which ones we're going to keep open and which ones we're going to close because we don't have
077schools like in these communities. And as the young lady said earlier, they are for us and they belong to us. The first thing I'm going to say about this administration, the way we do our work, and I've been very clear from the beginning about what the priority is for the district to provide those schools with what they deserve. You may not know this, but there are certain resources that were produced two years ago, and if you are one of these schools, you will receive this full support; you will not have the same level of support as the others. We are hiring, we are doing different processes. So, we're trying to train the system to understand this and focus on those schools where we have more resources. But when we look at other schools, I can
078tell you that much of what you see is always going to be better for this community. What I mean is, sometimes, Matías, why don't you just say, "Go get the teachers from here and bring them to this school"? And what I'm saying is, you have to be very careful because you want your child to be successful and to understand the culture and who they are. And that's going to be different for teachers here compared to teachers in other parts of the city. We have been moving in the radius, the number of empty positions has improved and there are things we need to know every time we have new principals in schools. We have new teachers and that has impacted the system. We have very good teachers and we have leaders who have been here, but
079that wasn't the case 2 years ago. Now we have a very good situation, very few absences from work and that is what motivates us. All I know is that we ca n't sustain this with the resources we have right now. We are simply at the point where all the pressure from the state and the federal government is on; if we don't do something, our students who need those resources are not going to receive them, and I don't want that to happen. Alright . And we wanted to talk about the big part that the school does, and because, of course, when you go and look around, you say, "Ah, look, this neighborhood is so beautiful, uh, I want to go there." When we talk in the community it's like putting things that need to be stabilized
080and like saying, well, if when I grow up, what kind of school do I want to send my children to? So it's like growing in the community, but all the locations or everything we've built for the community, uh, right, in East Austin, uh, there's a particular condition and they keep pushing us out. Yes, that's also why we want to invest in schools that haven't received enough service. 6% of 2.4 billion went to Title One schools. We are trying to build Travis's school. We have tried to build many things in which we are investing and for 10, 20 years that hope has been giving us. So , I want you to know that this administration is thinking the same way you are, but it's just a matter of seeing where we want to continue investing and
081with time and all that. We really need to do something, and I do want to do something, but there's little room for maneuver. But hey, if we're hoping to get there, we're intentionally investing in East Austin, so yeah, that's the work we need to do. But the 2022 grant program, that's going to continue. I hope the solution works, but as we say, we have to solve it together. Okay, we have one last comment and I'll pass it on to you later. I just wanted to make it clear to all of us about the 13 consecutive wins. Let's see. We set a goal in the year of COVID in 2019 and for at least the next 3 years we didn't have enough staff and we got to a transformation process and we told ourselves that those
082three consecutive years were not and are not a reflection or a reflection of the administration of the school or the training of the students. The capacity of the students is more a reflection of not having the teachers here, of not having the people who need to be in those positions doing the things they have to do . [applause] The people who are here want to be here. The director who is here, she wants to be here. She's been here because she wants to be here. and removing her from a place where she is a part and is part of the future is tremendous. They already know how to remove the teachers who are here as well. So that's what I wanted to do, to illuminate, to bring a little light to the situation. It's a
083district failure. Uh, if they close the school, it's a huge failure of the district to be able to provide the staffing we needed, and that led to these results. Thank you. to come. I know you love the district and you love the school, so yes, I appreciate you coming too. We love you too. [applause] Thank you. I know it's a very difficult conversation. I'm going to stay here a little longer. And yes, I really love this school and I love this community. I'm going to stay here a little longer to answer some questions. In fact, my nephew is a teacher here, and you know, I'm so sorry we're having this conversation, but we're doing everything we need to. superintendent. I don't know if anyone objects to me saying anything. I just wanted to say a
084short prayer. I can pray. I can pray. Lord, we come before you to give thanks. We thank you for being the one who sees us, and all we are asking here in this community is that you don't leave us in their place to exist, that you give us the wisdom we need to ensure that OSPR can remain open and at the same time not leave any child behind, but on the contrary, bring this community together. You, Lord, know what is happening in this complex system, and we are grateful that the majority of these people in this community are fighting for our community. This is a place where people have a reason to fight, and they come here and people become something, and you see it time and time again. So, we trust that you won't
085let this community fall into the hands of franchises, and you will move these people, and you will mend broken hearts and save the broken in spirit. I know that he protects the superintendent and the hard work he was doing. But I say to you in the name of Jesus, I ask that he not take this as we do, attacking him, but on the contrary, that you give him the wisdom so that he can do his job well and make the best decisions. God, show us how to do this. Show us how to do this. And we pray for this school. God, protect us and give us. We thank you, Father, for all the people who worked here and kept our children safe, even when violence was happening outside the gates of this school, Lord. Thank
086you. And we ask and pray to you to continue encouraging them. We ask that you use them as your tool and use them to show us what you know and what you want to do. And we do this in the name of Jesus. Amen.