Austin Mayor Kirk Watson is urging local families to petition state education officials to close two chronically underperforming middle schools, presenting campus closures as a necessary measure to prevent a comprehensive state takeover of the Austin Independent School District.
In a recent edition of his "Watson Wire" community newsletter, Watson outlined a strategy aimed at shielding the broader school district from state intervention. Under his proposal, parents of students attending Burnet Middle School and Webb Middle School would formally ask Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath to shut down the two facilities rather than replace the district's elected school board.
The looming threat of state intervention follows the release of the 2026 state accountability ratings, in which both Burnet and Webb received their fifth consecutive failing grades. Under a 2015 Texas statute, five years of consecutive unacceptable performance automatically triggers state-mandated action, requiring Morath to either order the closure of the struggling campuses or initiate a districtwide takeover.
If Morath were to pursue a full takeover, the state would strip authority from Austin ISD's publicly elected board of trustees and install an appointed board of managers to oversee district operations. Watson argued that such a drastic shift in governance would harm the wider school system at a time when overall academic performance is trending upward.
Academic records show that neither Burnet nor Webb has met state accountability standards since 2018. In the most recent evaluation cycle, Webb earned a score of 58 out of 100, while Burnet received a 59. Both campuses narrowly missed the 60-point threshold that would have provided a temporary "pause" year, which would have granted the district additional time to elevate student performance and avoid state penalties.
Watson contends that stripping local control from the entire district is unwarranted, particularly given that Austin ISD as a whole achieved a B rating with a score of 81 this year. That performance represents a measurable improvement over the district's previous rating of 79, which earned it a C grade on the state's letter-grade system.
In his newsletter, Watson described a district takeover as an extraordinary intervention that would disrupt the positive trajectory seen across the majority of Austin campuses. He maintained that education authorities should instead focus on targeted remedies that directly address the specific schools experiencing difficulties without penalizing the rest of the district.
To avoid the loss of elected governance, the mayor highlighted a specific provision in Texas education law that grants parents direct influence over the outcome. Under this statute, if a majority of parents at a qualifying campus sign and submit a petition, they can request that the state commissioner shutter the facility rather than unseat the local board of trustees.
While the statute provides a mechanism for parent petitions, questions remain regarding the extent of the commissioner's discretion. The Texas Education Agency did not immediately respond to inquiries seeking clarification on whether a verified parent petition legally obligates the commissioner to abide by the families' preferences.
A similar situation played out in Snyder Independent School District, offering a historical precedent for the strategy Watson is advocating. In 2019, Snyder Junior High triggered state sanctions after accumulating five consecutive failing ratings, prompting parents to organize and submit a petition requesting the closure of the junior high campus.
Following the receipt of that petition, Morath issued a letter to the Snyder district in January 2020 confirming that the parent action compelled the state to close the campus. Instead of replacing the elected school board, the commissioner opted to appoint a state conservator to oversee specific district decisions while leaving local governance intact.
As part of his vision for North Austin, Watson suggested that students currently attending Burnet and Webb could be brought together in a newly structured school. The mayor pointed out that the Burnet campus is currently benefiting from a $158 million modernization project, which is funded through Austin ISD's $2.4 billion bond program approved by voters in 2022.
Watson expressed strong confidence in Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura, stating that the district leader possesses the capability to develop a comprehensive plan that maintains cohesive school communities rather than scattering displaced students among existing middle schools across the region.
Austin ISD did not immediately issue a formal response regarding the mayor's proposal or the prospect of organizing parent petitions. As the district navigates the mandates of the 2015 accountability law, community members and local leaders must now weigh whether campus closures represent the best path forward to maintain local control over Austin's public schools.
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