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East Austin residents urge AISD to finish Oak Springs campus, repurpose Blackshear
Summary
Speakers at the Austin ISD information session urged the district to complete construction at Oak Springs, repurpose historic Blackshear as an early-childhood center, and honor bond promises; alumni also pressed the district to uphold agreements on LC AndersonYellowjacket Stadium.
Dozens of community members told the Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees on Feb. 12 that the district should finish a long-delayed Oak Springs campus and convert the historic Blackshear Elementary campus into an early-childhood center.
Speakers including Paul Sarahan, Sean Oliver and Saul Paul said voters approved bond funding for a new school at Oak Springs and asked the board to follow through. "Finish Oak Springs," Oliver said, calling completion an investment in equity, safety and modern learning spaces. Sarahan said the merged student body of Blackshear and Oak Springs should be housed at the new campus while preserving Blackshears historic site for early-childhood programming.
Alumni and longtime East Austin residents separately raised concerns about the districts handling of LC Andersons Yellowjacket Stadium, saying written agreements and a facility master plan have been ignored. Barbara Pierce Corbett, president of the LC Anderson Alumni Association, said the administrations treatment of the stadium is "a troubling pattern of inequitable treatment" and urged the district to honor joint agreements and community expectations.
Trustees and Superintendent José Segura acknowledged the comments during the meeting and signaled follow-up. The board did not vote on any action tied directly to those requests at the session. Segura later introduced information reports and said the district tracks consolidation and capital projects as part of multi-year planning.
Next steps: speakers asked for clear timelines and public engagement on consolidation and feeder-pattern decisions. The board will consider related items at future meetings; community members said they will continue to press for completion of Oak Springs and preservation of Blackshears legacy.
