Austin ISD is considering partnerships with outside organizations to help operate Dobie Middle School, Linder Elementary School and Pecan Springs Elementary School. Community members met at Dobie to discuss what a partnership could look like.
Under Texas Senate Bill 1882, districts can bring in outside groups, such as nonprofits or open-enrollment charter schools, to manage campuses. University of Texas education professor David DeMatthews said an approved partnership can bring additional state funding and can pause certain accountability actions, including a possible takeover. He said an outside group could also influence staffing, curriculum and spending. The district's website says there is no set design for an 1882 school.
The district earlier reached an agreement with the Texas Council for International Studies (TCIS) to manage Dobie, Burnet and Webb middle schools. That agreement ended in July, after the Texas Education Agency (TEA) rejected the proposal in May. According to the TEA, TCIS previously managed 11 campuses. Five of them improved their accountability scores, two stayed the same and four received lower ratings. In a letter to Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura, TEA official Marian Schutte wrote that TCIS had not shown a track record of academic success at the campuses it managed.