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Webb Middle School staff and families protest restart; trustees hear concerns about TEA process and collaboration
Summary
Teachers, students and parents from Webb Middle School urged the Austin ISD Board of Trustees on May 22 to stop or revise a restart and restaffing process they described as chaotic and unlawfully executed, and to ensure campus leaders were included in planning mandated by the Texas Education Agency.
Dozens of teachers, students and parents spoke at the Austin ISD Board of Trustees’ May 22 meeting to oppose a restart/restaffing process at Webb Middle School and to demand more transparency and collaboration with campus leaders.
Cecilia Leonard, a Webb math teacher, told trustees the process had been "harmful and destructive" and said communication from the district left staff and families uncertain about next steps. “We really need relief from this quickly. We're undergoing the restaffing as we speak with no end in sight,” Leonard said during in‑person public testimony.
Multiple recorded callers and teachers said the campus intervention team assigned by the Texas Education Agency had not collaborated with Webb’s campus leadership team as required by the Texas Administrative Code. Caller Sean Connes cited TAC sections 97.1061 and 97.1063 and said Webb’s campus leadership team had not been included in the intervention team’s planning. Another caller who identified as a Webb staff member said the district’s approach amounted to “displacement” rather than transformation.
Students also spoke. One student implored trustees to “please listen to the students. We want our teachers back,” reflecting a recurring message from callers that relationship continuity matters for student learning.
Speakers asked why some principals under consideration for roles at Adobe and Burnett were being moved from campuses where they had helped produce growth. Teacher Melissa Brockway asked why principals who are considered transformative enough to take on other turnaround campuses were not allowed to remain at their current schools.
Trustees asked the administration to explain whether the district was following state rules for targeted improvement plans (TIPs), turnarounds and campus intervention teams. Superintendent Segarra and staff explained that the state’s accountability timeline and earlier gaps in accountability due to the COVID era created an unusual sequence: some campuses had TIPs extended, Adobe received a TIP because of federal accountability, and TEA had ordered turnaround plans based on recently released 2023 accountability. Segarra said TEA issued guidance and deadlines for turnaround plans that match the current unusual timing and that district staff are working with TEA and regional service centers on required steps.
Speakers repeatedly requested copies of public records and asked for details on how community input will be incorporated in campus plans. Several teachers said job postings were made before principals were given the option to reapply and that staff were pressured to say whether they would stay without written contracts or clear workload parameters. Trustees asked staff to provide the legal guidance and TEA guidance referenced by the administration and to post links and documents for public review.
No trustee vote was taken on restart or turnaround plans at the May 22 meeting. Trustees said they would review TEA guidance and requested clearer timelines and documentary evidence about how the TIP/TAP/restart process has been followed.
