Austin Independent School District officials presented a draft consolidation plan at a community meeting in Sunset Valley that would close Sunset Valley Elementary and reassign its students primarily to Cunningham and Boon elementary schools, while converting Odom into a non‑zoned dual‑language campus with priority seats for affected students.

District administrators said the proposal is intended to concentrate scarce resources and expand access to full dual‑language programming where there are concentrations of emergent bilingual students. The district staff described the timeline for implementation as targeting the start of the 2026–27 school year (August 2026) and said the board will consider further drafts and votes in the coming weeks, with an updated draft and additional workshops scheduled and a board action date referenced in the meeting materials as Nov. 20; other remarks by staff indicated a December vote could also be possible as the timeline is finalized.

Why it matters: The plan would change school assignment lines, move a neighborhood elementary out of its current campus, and shift program seats and supports that families say are central to local schooling choices. Parents at the meeting pressed district leaders about transportation, continuity of special‑education and related services, staffing, the district’s past capital investments in Sunset Valley, and whether land value or potential sale influenced the decision.

What district officials told families

López Navarro, introduced at the meeting as the school’s administrator, framed the proposal as part of a districtwide effort to “develop a school system” that places resources where they most benefit students and to expand full dual‑language programs across neighborhoods. She said the district has been balancing financial pressures and state accountability requirements and that the draft is intended to reduce the number of small, under‑enrolled campus sites while preserving program access: “tenemos escuelas increíbles en todos lugares, pero no todos los estudiantes están recibiendo los recursos y las necesidades.”

A district operations official explained the primary logistics in plain terms: the Sunset Valley campus in the proposal would close; students would be reassigned to Cunningham or Boon depending on new attendance boundaries; students currently enrolled in the Sunset Valley dual‑language program would be prioritized for seats at Odom; and Odom would be non‑zoned to serve dual‑language students across the mapped area.

Becca, who identified herself as a staff member supporting parents in dual‑language programs, said the district believes Odom has enough capacity to receive students from Sunset Valley and that the district has committed to prioritizing currently enrolled students for seats: “tenemos suficientes asientos disponibles en la Odom… todos los alumnos que van a transferirse van a ir a la escuela primaria Odom.”

Services and staffing

District staff repeatedly assured families that special‑education services — including speech therapy, occupational therapy, dyslexia interventions, behavior supports and nursing — would follow individual students to their new schools and that AR (admissions and review) meetings would determine each student’s services. The operations team said staff positions for special programs are included in the draft implementation plan, but acknowledged some details about provider assignment and specialized staffing are still being finalized.

On staffing transitions more broadly, district speakers said they are reviewing placements for teachers and specialists and that staffing adjustments typically continue through the spring; no detailed plan to eliminate licensed positions was presented. Administrators emphasized training and supervisor structures to support expanded dual‑language programming across the affected campuses.

Transportation, Title funding and bond spending

Families asked whether the district would provide busing for students forced to travel farther; staff said transportation is being considered and that the district transports roughly 20,000 students daily, but acknowledged cost and logistics will drive route decisions. The meeting also included questions about Title I and other federal funds; district staff explained that Title‑fund eligibility follows federal formulas tied to poverty rates and that moving students among campuses can change how funds flow to individual schools.

Several residents asked why Sunset Valley — which has received recent capital work — was included in the consolidation draft and whether the district might be influenced by land‑value or redevelopment potential. District staff replied that land value was not a primary factor in the proposal and that the process is intended to align programs and facilities with student needs rather than to pursue real‑estate transactions.

Community concerns and next steps

Parents and neighborhood residents voiced strong opposition to closing the campus, citing community ties, local safety concerns near alternate campuses, and the school’s role as a neighborhood hub. Speakers asked the district to revise boundary lines in small ways to reduce travel distances for some families; district planners said they would review specific block‑level adjustments and return with explanations for any decisions.

District staff reiterated the draft nature of the plan, said they will incorporate community feedback and produce an updated draft for review, and listed upcoming engagement steps: additional workshops (including a virtual session focused on the east area), the release of an updated draft, a public opportunity to debate the plan on Nov. 6, and a referenced final board action date of Nov. 20 (with some staff comments also noting December as a possible voting month while timing is finalized).

The district asked families to submit comment cards and promised more detail in the next draft on transportation, staffing placements, AR meeting procedures for students receiving special‑education services, and the extent to which prekindergarten students would be included in assignment priorities. Administrators said they intended to minimize disruption but could not commit to final outcomes until the board votes.

Votes at a glance / Formal action

No formal vote or final decision was taken at the meeting. District staff described the proposal as a draft and outlined the schedule for further drafts, workshops and an eventual board action date to be set by the Austin ISD board of trustees.

Ending

District officials asked families to continue submitting written feedback and said the administration will integrate community input before returning to the board. Community members at the meeting said they will continue to press for adjustments to boundaries, transportation assurances and commitments to keep staff and services aligned with students’ needs.