Parents urge Austin ISD trustees to delay Blackshear consolidation, call for stability and immediate supports

At a Feb. 26 public hearing, several parents and community members asked the Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees to delay any final decision about closing or consolidating Blackshear Elementary and to prioritize on‑site staffing and stability for Title I campuses.

Community members tied their appeals to the district’s targeted improvement and turnaround planning processes, saying those plans cannot substitute for immediate staff and supports at struggling campuses. Patrick Davis, who identified himself as a parent of students at Kealing and Blackshear, said in a recorded message: "We ask you to kindly save Blackshear." Rachel Bowden, a Blackshear parent, urged systemic change in stronger terms, saying the district’s reporting "bears lay bare the inequitable, racist white supremacist school system that we have yet to disrupt."

Other recorded callers asked the board not to rush a campus‑location decision. A caller who identified herself only as Meg said: "Please do not make this decision now. It's not going to set Blackshear up for success with this targeted improvement plan." Laura, another Blackshear parent, supported constructing a new Oak Springs campus for early learners but asked that any final decision on consolidated campus locations be delayed until districtwide impacts (consolidation sequencing, accountability results, attrition) can be evaluated. Mark Capraro, a Blackshear parent, implored trustees to "delay a decision" and cautioned against "exploiting the racial dynamics of the East Side to ram this plan through."

An in‑person commenter, Cuitlahuac Guerra, asked trustees and the superintendent to "go beyond" written plans and assign dedicated staff who work only at the campus — not staff shared across multiple campuses — to address immediate instructional and staffing shortages at Pecan Springs and other schools.

District staff and trustees did not offer on‑the‑spot policy changes in response to public comment; presenters reminded the public that the Texas Open Meetings Act limits board discussion during public testimony. Administrators noted that the district’s Targeted Improvement Plans (TIPs) and Turnaround Plans were submitted to the agency on Nov. 21 and that board approvals are expected by March 31, but callers urged the board to use the time before formal approvals to ensure decisions do not further destabilize students, staff and school communities.

Next steps: trustees will consider TIP/LIP materials and related agenda items in upcoming board sessions; the public hearing adjourned at 6:14 p.m.