Decibel
Why AISD Might Close Dobie To Save The District
Clip | 5m 54sVideo has Closed Captions
Rundberg's middle school faces closure to avoid a state takeover of the district.
Austin Independent School District officials announced last week they were considering closing Dobie Middle School in Rundberg. The school has struggled with low ratings in the past, but parents and staff have noted that things seem to be improving. But we explain how it isn't really about the school--its about saving the whole district.
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Decibel is a local public television program presented by Austin PBS
Funding for Decibel is provided in part by Texas Mutual and Roxanne Elder & Scott Borders
Decibel
Why AISD Might Close Dobie To Save The District
Clip | 5m 54sVideo has Closed Captions
Austin Independent School District officials announced last week they were considering closing Dobie Middle School in Rundberg. The school has struggled with low ratings in the past, but parents and staff have noted that things seem to be improving. But we explain how it isn't really about the school--its about saving the whole district.
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- Dobie Middle School could be closing.
Here's what we know about why this is happening.
- [AI Voice] You've got mail.
- Last Thursday, Dobie staff were sent an email from the Austin Independent School District that said the school's low performance put the entire Austin district at risk of being taken over by the state, and they don't feel like they can take that risk.
So to avoid this, AISD is looking at three options for Dobie, partner with a charter school in the fall, temporarily close and reimagine the school, or close completely.
But why does the fate of the entire Austin School District hang on Dobie Middle School?
The answer actually lies in Houston.
(bright music) - You have the state coming in and essentially taking control of your school district.
(bell rings) My name's Jacob Carpenter.
I'm the education team editor for the "Houston Landing."
The state intervention started ahead of the '23 '24 school year, so a little under two years ago.
It really started back in the mid 2010s with one of our local state representatives, and he said, "I want to pass some kind of legislation that's going to make the school district respond to this," what he called, "Failure," for many years.
- [Presenter] There's a state law that says, "The Texas Educational Authority, or TEA, can take over an entire school district if a single school within that district doesn't meet the accountability standards set by the state for five years in a row."
(bright music) In 2019, a Houston ISD school failed to meet achievement standards.
After a few years and some lawsuits, TEA Commissioner, Mike Morath, replaced Houston ISD superintendent and locally elected board of trustees with a replacement board and superintendent that he picked.
- He has come in with a completely different mindset when it comes to how to teach kids in the classroom, when it comes to how to staff schools, when it comes to how to pay teachers.
(people chattering) (bright music) If you get to that point where there is state appointed leadership, they basically come in and they own the school district.
They can change anything that they want, obviously within state laws, and things of that sort.
But here in in Houston, we've seen it where they have come in and dramatically changed huge parts of the school district that go way beyond even just the issues that were seen at the one school that triggered the state takeover.
- That shakeup has Austin ISD worried.
(computer rings) (bright music) In their email to Dobie staff, AISD said the possibility of a TEA takeover was not a chance they were willing to take.
But what are these accountability standards and what do they have to do with closing Dobie Middle School?
The short answer is everything.
(students chattering) The TEA ranks schools according to an A through F grading system.
These grades are determined by closing achievement gaps and student readiness, but a lot of weight is given to STAR test scores.
These are tests given to students on subjects like math, English, and science.
(students chattering) Now, this is a relatively new system.
Schools didn't officially receive grades like this until 2019.
Back then, opponents argued that it was unfair to parents and schools to boil down a district's success rate into one metric, and that it was unfair to schools serving lower income families, because they may face additional barriers that can impact test scores.
That year, Dobie got an F. That makes one of five failing grades that triggers a takeover.
Then there was the pandemic.
(bright music) Students didn't take the STAR test in 2020.
The next year, the TEA didn't give out school grades because of the declared state of disaster caused by the pandemic.
In the 2021 to 2022 school year, schools were rated, but because covid wreaked so much havoc on kids' education, the TEA listed schools that would have been failing as not rated.
AISD says that Dobie would have received an F that year.
The results from the last two years have been held up in court.
120 school districts sued the TEA.
They argued that the grades were unfair because the TEA changed the standards without giving them enough notice.
But a judge declared that the TEA could release the 2022 to 2023 school rankings.
That same day, the email about the future of Dobie was sent out.
That's two.
Last year's school grades are still held up in court, but AISD is worried that they could be released any day now, and based on their calculations, they think they could be receiving an F. That's three.
(people chattering) In their email, AISD said while Dobie has improved a lot this year, they don't expect it will be enough to get a passing grade from the state.
That makes four.
That means Dobie would need a passing grade in the 2025 and 2026 school year to avoid a state takeover, and AISD doesn't like those odds.
So what does that mean for Dobie students?
It depends on what plan is picked.
If they partner with a charter school, students could stay at Dobie.
The charter would have the authority to keep staff, but it's not guaranteed.
If they close the school either permanently or temporarily, students would be reassigned to another middle school.
(computer rings) The school district has put out Adobe Turnaround Survey, asking for feedback from community members on what they would like to see happen with the school.
There will also be a public board meeting on April 24th where residents can give testimony, either in person, or over the phone.
A final plan will be submitted to the TEA by the end of April.
We'll be following this decision as it unfolds, but as always, let us know if you have any questions about what's happening.
(bright music)
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