Sunset Valley council adopts resolution urging AISD to keep Sunset Valley Elementary open

The Sunset Valley City Council voted Oct. 21 to adopt a resolution urging the Austin Independent School District to preserve Sunset Valley Elementary amid a draft consolidation plan.

Mayor Bar, who sponsored the resolution, said the district’s draft plan "was motivated by a number of factors. primarily the financial crunch that a lot of the public school districts are under um being underfunded and um having to look at lower enrollment" and that the city has a long-standing partnership with the school. He described Sunset Valley Elementary as a 54‑year institution with a "wall‑to‑wall" dual‑language program valued by nearby families.

The resolution frames the closure proposal as a community concern and asks AISD trustees to consider the local services the city provides — from community policing and programming to PTA grants tied to the school. The mayor said the council has already begun outreach, including letters to trustees and meetings attended by AISD administrators and some trustees.

Multiple councilmembers spoke in support. Councilmember Johnson called the news "incredibly emotional" for families and urged coordinated outreach; Councilmember Medicus and Councilmember Bro also urged that the district weigh the non‑academic benefits of the campus. Residents in the audience urged rapid public notification and encouraged neighbors to submit comments on the AISD consolidation webpage before the district’s Oct. 28 comment deadline.

The council’s resolution passed on a voice vote. City staff said they will follow up with a community communications plan and continue to press AISD officials; AISD’s trustees are scheduled to vote on the consolidation plan on Nov. 20.