Austin Independent School District officials on May 2 outlined proposed turnaround plans for Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools and a compressed timeline to submit the plans to the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

Dr. Jacob Reach, chief of board services and governmental relations, told the Board of Trustees the "primary goal of a turnaround plan is to produce significant and sustainable gains in student achievement and move the school towards a C rating within two years." He said the district expects to return to the board with a recommended plan on June 12 and submit the plan to TEA with a June 30 deadline set by the agency.

The board was briefed on three practical options the district says remain viable given the short window: a district-managed restart (AISD-run restart with new staffing and an ACE-style model), a partner-managed restart through a so-called "1882" partnership (an outside operator approved by TEA), or reassigning students to higher-performing schools. The presentation emphasized constraints: TEA approval windows, the need for preapproved partners for an 1882 arrangement, and the time required to prepare receiving schools if reassignment were pursued.

District staff presented preliminary estimates and constraints. For a district-managed restart the administration estimated roughly $1.7 million per campus per year in additional staffing and stipends (staff said the figure is conservative and excludes potential external grant awards). The district estimated the cost to provide portables and related site work for moving Dobie students to Lamar at between $4.5 million and $6.0 million. Staff said an 1882 partner model would impose minimal net additional cost to the district because the partner receives state 1882 funds to cover enhanced staffing; administrators estimated that model could bring $700 to $1,000 of additional funding per student to the operating campus but that average daily attendance funding would flow through to the partner.

Administrators described the accountability backdrop that triggered the requirement. Under state guidance and recent changes (staff referenced 2022 legislation, SB 1365, in the presentation), Dobie, Burnet and Webb have consecutive low accountability results that put them in a chain of potential intervention. Reach told trustees the district has verified 2024 data with TEA and is tracking 2025 projections; the district is treating its submission conservatively to reflect the possibility of additional "F" ratings being applied when TEA releases finalized 2024 and later 2025 accountability data.

The presentation highlighted ongoing district investments at the three campuses and systemwide supports the administration says are intended to boost outcomes: higher teacher compensation and retention work, expanded instructional coaching and a retooled curriculum and MTSS (multi-tiered system of supports) rollout. Staff cited improvements in district attendance and reductions in chronic absenteeism as part of those efforts.

Board members pressed on feasibility and trade-offs. Trustee Singh asked about costs and staffing feasibility; administrators confirmed the roughly $1.7 million per campus figure and said the district has some internal turnaround experience but will need to recruit leaders and staff with turnaround experience, using stipends and other incentives. Trustee Kaufman urged caution about the message to students, saying, "there is no scenario ever where we would say that it's the responsibility of our kids to pass a test in order to save the district." Trustee Foster sought clarity about how targeted turnaround work ties into districtwide changes and emphasized equity and student distribution concerns.

Officials described a phased timeline and decision points they say would reduce risk: preliminary Star (3–8) early results expected in May will inform domain calculations; the board would act June 12; administrators would submit the board-approved plan to TEA mid-June and expect TEA feedback within roughly three weeks. If the district restarts campuses itself and progress is insufficient in fall or winter 2025–26, staff said AISD could then pursue an 1882 partner as a contingency before the 2025–26 STAR administration to secure a two-year accountability pause and additional state funds available to partners.

Staff cautioned that reassignment (closing a campus and moving students to A- or B-rated receiving schools) would be disruptive and, for Burnet specifically, difficult because Burnet has roughly 810 students; administrators said limited availability of suitably rated receiving schools and logistical barriers across the district make reassignment less viable for all three schools at once. The presentation located the three schools in North Austin and noted high student mobility and large English-learner and newcomer populations at the campuses.

No formal vote was taken at the special meeting. Trustees asked for additional detail and public engagement; administrators said they will hold community engagement sessions, provide updated Q&A responses to trustees, and return to the board in June with recommended turnaround plans.

Next steps: AISD plans an information session the week after the May 2 meeting, additional community engagement and a board vote scheduled for June 12; staff said TEA's June 30 submission deadline and TEA's roughly three-week review window make the June board action critical for meeting state timelines.