Rep. Sheryl Cole: AISD School Closures ‘Disproportionately Affect East Austin’
State Representative Sheryl Cole and a number of East Austin public school advocates have come out against the plan announced by Austin Independent School District (AISD) last week to close 12 schools, most of which are east of I-35.
Cole represents Austinites affected by at least eight of the school zones facing closure if AISD’s “scenarios” are approved by a vote of AISD trustees in November. She said in a statement, “The community deserves to know why a disproportionate number of East Austin residents are affected.”
Cole pointed out that 11 of 12 of the schools proposed for closure have a student population that is mostly Black, Hispanic, and other minority, all are located east of Lamar Blvd., and seven are east of I-35, the historic home of the city’s Black and Hispanic communities.
AISD leaders argue that many of East Austin’s schools are aging and under-enrolled and that “under-enrolled schools constrain dollars available for programming.” They want to consolidate and in doing so save money on recurring and deferred maintenance costs.
However, Cole says it’s premature to be making “drastic changes” right after the Legislature hiked funding for public school districts, AISD included. “I understand the need to make financially prudent decisions throughout the district in the face of negative growth. But in doing so, we must make sure we are educating all of our children, regardless of race, and regardless of zip code,” she said.
“I am not damning every closure or the necessity of boundary changes, especially given what we know of the financial constraints facing AISD. However, to suggest such drastic changes, before we see the positive results brought by HB 3, and against recommendations of the [budget stabilization] task force, is problematic,” she added.
AISD leaders have cast the changes as enhancing racial equity in the district rather than detracting from it by transferring minority students from aging school facilities to modern ones where more services and afterschool programs will be provided. District leaders also have touted plans to reinvest funds saved from school closures in “cultural proficiency training” for 6,000 staff and teachers.
At a board meeting on Tuesday, Stephanie Hawley, AISD’s Equity Officer, stated, “This is a great opportunity for us to interrupt and change the system… to start to undo the racism that’s doing so much damage to black and brown children.”
But Cole suggested that AISD leaders were paying “lip service” to racial equity. “We cannot just give lip service to equity, we need to actively work to put to rest the systemic inequalities that divide Austin along I-35. True equity requires more than words, it requires measurable change…”
Cole’s office also published supporting statements from three “public school champions,” including Susan Moffat and Allen Weeks who stated, “The draft plan released this week ignores our history. It surrenders our communities to charter schools and gentrification.”
They added that the plan would accelerate declining enrollments in the district. “Once again, [the plan] asks East Austin residents to absorb the biggest impact of budget shortfalls, with not one school west of Mo-Pac negatively affected.”
Deborah Trejo, who served as a member of AISD’s Budget Stabilization Task Force, stated, “I have particular concerns with the choice of schools to close and rezone — I believe that it is clear that is not being done in an equitable way.”
