Superintendent Matías of Austin Independent School District (Austin ISD) told a packed Barker Woods meeting that the district is discussing a draft consolidation and boundary-change plan intended to address long-running enrollment, facility and program misalignment across the district. "Quiero reconocer el dolor, la interrupción que esto está causando en las vidas de sus familias," he said, acknowledging community concerns while framing the work as part of a districtwide effort to correct inequities.

Matías said the district is considering changes because enrollment and program patterns no longer match facilities and services: "Tenemos 116 escuelas en Austin ISD en este momento y tenemos un poquito más de 70000 estudiantes," he said while describing efforts to align feeder patterns so students have consistent paths to middle and high schools and so programs such as dual-language and International Baccalaureate (IB) can be sustained.

Community members pushed back, asking why Barker Woods'—described repeatedly by speakers as a high-performing neighborhood school'is on the draft list. One parent asked why a stable, locally rooted school would face closure when many students live in the immediate area. Business owners and parents urged the district to re-check population and housing projections and to share the district's full analysis and cost estimates.

District staff explained methodological choices behind a facilities rubric that treats permanent building space as the baseline and generally excludes long-term portables from permanent capacity counts. Staff said they consult the district's development office and use housing projections (types of units and bedroom counts) to forecast enrollment, but they also said not every proposed development is guaranteed and offered to reexamine data if the community submits additional information.

Cost questions featured prominently in public comments. Community-cited outside estimates that appeared during the meeting included a figure of roughly $470,000 as a first-year cost tied to closing the campus; district staff cautioned that systemwide fiscal impacts are larger and said the draft plan references district-level figures (discussed on the record as "más de 24,000,000" in the meeting) and a transformation line item of about $800,000.

Several speakers asked about what would happen to the Barker Woods site if it were closed. Staff referenced a board direction from 2019 prioritizing community benefits and open space when repurposing closed school property and said the district would work with the community to identify options rather than immediately sell the land.

Legal and compliance context also came up. Matías said he had conferred with state agency staff and described three TEA priorities raised in those conversations: instruction, special education and required services. "Las cuestiones de finanzas no tienen nada que ver con esas decisiones de si va a entrar la agencia estatal," he said, describing the TEA perspective relayed to him.

On student supports, Dennis, identified at the meeting as director of planning and strategy for organizational effectiveness, summarized plans for a "bridge" team intended to limit disruption: toolkits for campus leaders, counseling supports, professional learning for staff and resources for families. "Los estudiantes tienen que estar centrados en todo lo que hacemos," he said.

No formal vote or board action occurred at the meeting. Staff told attendees the district plans to share the draft analysis with the school board and noted a Nov. 29 deadline tied to the district's planning timeline; staff said they would consider community alternatives, including proposals to keep Barker Woods open and to accept transfers from other campuses, and would circulate more detailed analyses in follow-up communications.

Community speakers repeatedly pressed for transparency and more time to review data. Several asked the board to consider alternatives and to ensure any final plan includes clear, campus-specific supports for students and staff before changes would take effect. The meeting ended with the superintendent thanking attendees and committing to continue the conversation and share the district's analyses with the board and the community.

Next steps: staff said they would provide the underlying data and cost analysis to the community and board and consider community-proposed alternatives before the Nov. 29 plan submission deadline; no formal district decision was made at the meeting.