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District proposes moving Wynn Montessori to a new campus to break accountability chain; parents warn community could fracture
Summary
AISD officials proposed moving the Wynn Montessori program to a different campus to address an accountability-chain issue under state rules, a change parents warned would break a close community and limit access for low-income families.
Parents and staff raised strong objections to a proposal to relocate the Wynn Montessori program several miles from its existing neighborhood site, warning the move would fracture a tightly knit community and force families to seek alternatives.
Why the district proposed the relocation: Assistant/Acting official Dr. Ibad Khan explained that the state’s accountability system tracks students to campus identifiers and that changing a campus name alone would not break an accountability chain. To remove an at-risk accountability status associated with the receiving campus, the Montessori program would need to be moved and reestablished as a non-zoned (unassigned) program in a receiving location, the district said. "No, we cannot just change the name," Khan said. The administration described the move as an attempt to protect the program while complying with Texas Education Agency rules.
Parent concerns: Parents said many families moved to be near Wynn Montessori and that moving the program 4.5 miles to Govalle (a receiving campus discussed in the draft) would make daily access impossible for families without private transportation. One parent said the program’s students are largely financially disadvantaged and that moving the campus would effectively exclude families who cannot drive long distances.
Program specifics and staffing: District officials acknowledged Montessori certification and instructional materials are specialized; staff said they expect to move trained Montessori teachers and materials with the program where feasible and that operations and inventory planning for a physical move would be part of the transition plan. The district also said any relocated Montessori program would likely be an unzoned, non-attendance-area program to support sustainability in the accountability framework.
What the district will do next: Leaders said they are collecting feedback and will take the concerns to trustees at the upcoming board workshop. They said moving the Montessori program or redesigning it to preserve instructional quality requires detailed transition planning that will be shared in the Oct. 31 update and subsequent community outreach.
