Latest / Austin Signal / Austin ISD postpones districtwide boundary changes

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Austin ISD postpones districtwide boundary changes · Austin Signal

0:08
The Austin School District is
0:10
postponing most of its school
0:11
boundary realignment changes for an
0:13
additional year.
0:14
It's not the first time AISD has
0:16
tried realigning attendance zones,
0:18
and it's not the first the plan has
0:20
been pushed back.
0:21
Where things stand now.
0:23
And as we approach one year since
0:24
deadly floods ravaged the Texas Hill
0:26
Country, the podcast After the
0:28
Flood is telling the stories of the
0:29
people impacted most.
0:31
We've got more about that coming up
0:33
on today's show.
0:34
The Austin Signal is a production
0:36
of KUT News, posted by
0:38
Jerry Quijano.
0:40
Canada and Mexico have won their
0:41
first knockout games of this year's
0:43
World Cup.
0:44
Now the United States has the chance
0:45
to do the same.
0:47
We're going to hear from a former
0:48
U.S. Men's national team player,
0:50
plus another tale from the
0:52
Accent Unmuted storytelling event.
0:55
Those stories and more coming up
0:56
next on Austin Signal.
1:08
Howdy out there.
1:09
You are listening to Austin Signal.
1:11
I'm your host Jerry Quijano.
1:13
It is Wednesday, the first day of
1:15
July. We are halfway through 2026.
1:18
Thank you for spending part of it.
1:20
We're here with community-powered
1:21
public radio.
1:23
This is KUT News.
1:26
A plan to realign the Austin
1:28
Independent School District's campus
1:29
boundaries has been postponed until
1:31
at least the 2028-2029
1:34
school year.
1:35
This move comes after parents raise
1:36
concerns about the plan Now
1:38
the district is holding meetings to
1:40
gather more feedback from the
1:41
public.
1:42
Greta Diaz-Gonzalez-Vasquez is
1:44
KUT's education reporter.
1:46
She is here with us to explain.
1:47
Hi Greta. Hey Jerry.
1:49
So lots going on with AISD,
1:51
whether it be the budget or campuses
1:52
closing. So let's talk a little bit
1:54
about this alignment zone or these
1:56
plans to realign attendance zones.
1:58
Why was the district wanting to do
2:00
this?
2:00
Yeah, so attendance zones is
2:02
where... I feel like we need to
2:03
start there. It's very basic, yeah.
2:05
Where families are assigned to go to
2:06
school based on where they live, and
2:08
then also something that will come
2:10
up is feeder patterns, which is
2:12
where kids go to school, where
2:14
elementaries are assigned, which
2:15
middle school they go to, and then
2:17
which high school they got to.
2:19
So it's very common for school
2:21
districts to change boundaries
2:23
after school closures, and AISD
2:25
is closing schools.
2:27
And it's 10 schools that that
2:29
changes where kids are going to
2:31
school and some schools might be
2:33
over enrolled, some might be under
2:35
enrolled.
2:36
And so the district is saying that
2:37
this realignment will help,
2:39
one, make sure schools are properly
2:42
enrolled, also that there's a
2:43
baseline of programs and services
2:45
for all schools and it will help
2:47
stabilize the budget, and
2:49
that it will be less disruptive
2:51
for some of the students.
2:52
An example is Keeling
2:54
Middle School. Right now it receives
2:57
students from nine elementary
2:58
schools, and then it feeds into
3:00
five high schools.
3:02
Oh, okay.
3:03
The plan, one of the plans, there's
3:04
two different plans, but one of the
3:05
plan is for Keeling to
3:07
receive kids from seven elementary
3:09
schools and then split only into
3:11
three high schools. So you would be
3:13
together with your cohort.
3:14
You, you keep a cohort together.
3:15
Yeah, you're more likely to stay
3:17
through elementary, through middle
3:18
school, and high school together.
3:19
Yeah, exactly.
3:20
Okay, so you tell us a little bit
3:21
about what this plan means for the
3:23
district. What more does it mean for
3:24
the students involved?
3:25
Yeah, so for the students involved,
3:27
of course, for some means going
3:29
to different schools.
3:30
As of now, like I mentioned, some
3:32
schools would be over-enrolled, some
3:34
would be under-enroll by quite a
3:36
bit. And so they're expecting to
3:37
have no less than 225
3:40
students across the district in
3:42
each school.
3:43
Gotcha. And so that means that
3:44
students will have more of a similar
3:46
experience.
3:47
Of course, there will be disruption
3:49
because some of the schools will be
3:51
receiving students from different
3:53
neighborhoods. So, it's...
3:54
Yeah, it's some changes for students
3:56
for sure.
3:56
Okay, so this plan has been
3:58
postponed in part
4:00
due to pushback from some parents.
4:01
What have their concerns been?
4:03
Yeah, AISD has been meeting with
4:04
families and showing these
4:06
two proposals.
4:07
And what I've seen
4:09
in those meetings and heard from
4:11
parents is they want to protect the
4:12
campus culture because, you know,
4:14
you do create a culture in your
4:16
neighborhood school.
4:17
So they're worried about like which
4:18
families are coming in, who's not
4:20
going to be in here.
4:22
Also, of course, if they are
4:23
assigned to a different school, some
4:25
families buy houses thinking of
4:27
the school their kids are going to
4:28
go to in the future or in that
4:29
moment.
4:30
So, that kind of disrupts family
4:32
plans, of course.
4:33
Some say that there's been too much
4:35
disruption in the last few years at
4:36
AISD, even with closing schools, and
4:38
that kids need stability.
4:40
And they're also questioning if
4:41
their feedback is being heard or
4:43
not.
4:44
Well, there has been a lot going on
4:45
with the school district, so much so
4:46
that I forgot that this is not
4:48
the first time that they had tried
4:50
to realign and then delayed
4:51
realignment. You reported that a
4:53
plan was first talked about last
4:54
year but then got pushed back.
4:56
What happened then?
4:57
Right. It was when they also
4:59
announced they were closing schools
5:01
and there would be a realignment
5:02
plan. Then they decided to take
5:03
three schools of that list and that
5:05
realignment would happen the next
5:07
year, which is this year.
5:08
And now after actually 2,750
5:11
comments from the community, the
5:13
superintendent sent an email to
5:14
families last week and they said
5:16
that they would push
5:18
the dates, the timeframe
5:20
and that it was to make better, this
5:21
is a quote, better, more sustainable
5:23
long-term decisions along with the
5:25
community.
5:26
OK, last question.
5:27
A little more than a minute here.
5:29
Moving forward, the plan is now
5:30
divided into two phases.
5:32
What are those two phases?
5:33
Right, so the first phase will
5:35
include the schools impacted by
5:37
the school closures, so those that
5:38
are taking in the students from
5:40
the schools that closed.
5:42
It will also include some schools
5:44
that are over-enrolled and that
5:46
would be using temporary
5:48
classrooms and that they're saying
5:50
they can't afford. And we don't know
5:51
which schools those are.
5:52
And this is expected to be voted on
5:54
September and put into effect next
5:56
school year. So 2027-28.
5:58
So not the one starting right now,
6:00
but after.
6:01
And then the second phase is the
6:02
rest of the school and they said it
6:04
could also include school closures,
6:06
which is the lead right there
6:08
but that's how we yeah we will
6:10
see what happens.
6:11
Okay, well this has been a
6:12
developing situation in many
6:14
respects, and Greta
6:15
Diaz-Gonzalez-Vasquez will continue
6:17
following it.
6:18
She is UT's education
6:20
reporter, and we're going to have a
6:21
link to her reporting in today's
6:23
show notes. Greta, thank you.
6:24
Thank you, Jerry.
6:32
Saturday is the one-year
6:34
anniversary of the deadly flooding
6:36
that tore through the Texas Hill
6:37
Country on the 4th of July, killing
6:39
more than 130 people.
6:42
The Texas Newsroom and PBS
6:44
Frontline are covering the disaster
6:46
in a five-part podcast called
6:48
After the Flood, hosted
6:50
by Houston Public Media's Dominic
6:52
Anthony Walsh.
6:53
In episode one, listeners met
6:55
Matthew Childress from Houston,
6:57
the father of a Camp Mystic
6:58
counselor named Chloe, who was
7:00
reported missing on July 4,
7:02
2025.
7:03
In the second episode, which is out
7:05
now, Matthew gets a
7:07
phone call.
7:08
Here's a preview.
7:09
On the evening of July 4th,
7:12
and much of July 5th, he sat with
7:14
other mystic parents, waiting,
7:16
watching many of them reunite
7:18
with their children,
7:20
and on Saturday, July 5,
7:22
around 6 p.m.
7:23
We were all kind of standing in a
7:25
group and I felt my phone vibrate in
7:27
my pocket and I pulled it out and I
7:28
showed everyone that was sitting in
7:30
front of me that it was a Kerrville
7:31
number.
7:32
So I went ahead and answered it.
7:34
I turned away from
7:36
them and said hello.
7:38
I remember it was the gentleman who
7:40
I believe was a sheriff's officer.
7:42
I don't remember specifically what
7:44
he said, but all I remember him
7:45
saying was, Grimes Mortuary.
7:48
And I collapsed, dropped my phone
7:50
and started to
7:52
wail.
7:54
And all I remember is
7:57
my wife telling me to grab my phone
7:59
and my brother and sister who were
8:00
there kind of helped to pick me up
8:02
and kind of carry me out of there to
8:04
get us in the car to go to the
8:05
mortuary.
8:06
You know, even in those moments, we
8:07
were still hoping that perhaps it
8:09
was a misidentification that
8:11
it was possibly someone else.
8:13
And I had to
8:15
make the decision to identify
8:17
her.
8:19
And somehow I was lucid enough
8:20
to be able to understand of if
8:22
I somehow didn't do it myself, that
8:24
I would regret it.
8:26
And so my wife and I went
8:28
in, identified her.
8:30
It was absolutely terrible.
8:32
I wish that upon no man or woman.
8:35
See my firstborn,
8:38
my hero being
8:41
in that state.
8:44
But I'm glad that I did it, I'm glad
8:45
my wife and I had the courage to
8:47
identify her.
8:50
And my poor brother and sister had
8:51
to sit there and listen to us suffer
8:53
as we reacted to that,
8:55
which I will always forever
8:57
thank them for their support to pull
8:59
us through that terrible moment.
9:01
But at the same time, as I had said
9:03
goodbye to her.
9:06
A week earlier and gave her 17
9:08
kisses. I went back in and gave here
9:10
17 kisses
9:12
before we said goodbye.
9:13
That's how we said, goodbye, good
9:15
night, every night.
9:17
Matthew and Wendy made the long
9:19
drive back to Houston.
9:21
So when we got home, it was
9:23
tough to get back to her room.
9:25
It was tough come into the house.
9:27
Took me probably 15 minutes to get
9:28
out of the car.
9:29
So I was so terrified to come into
9:31
house.
9:32
Once we got to see my son
9:34
and my in-laws,
9:36
I told my wife we need to go
9:37
upstairs and be in Chloe's
9:39
room, otherwise I would be afraid of
9:41
going in there and I needed to go in
9:43
there immediately.
9:45
So.
9:47
After a long sobbing
9:49
on her bed and
9:51
we
9:53
started to kind of wander around and
9:55
I believe maybe an hour or so later
9:56
we were still just kind of wandering
9:58
around going through her things
10:00
and my wife had
10:02
seen in her bathroom the
10:04
sticker that said Isaiah 43 2 on
10:06
it.
10:07
That's not something I'm familiar
10:08
with and we had to look
10:10
it up what it was.
10:12
Isaiah chapter 43 verse
10:14
2, When you pass through
10:16
the waters, I will be with you,
10:18
and through the rivers they will not
10:20
overwhelm you.
10:25
You just heard a selection from
10:26
After the Flood, a new podcast
10:29
by the Texas Newsroom and PBS
10:31
Frontline that covers last year's
10:32
deadly floods in the Texas Hill
10:34
Country.
10:35
Episode two is out now.
10:37
We're going to have a link in
10:38
today's show notes.
10:41
And now some headlines from today.
10:43
Austin Public Library is asking
10:45
Austinites to vote on new
10:46
community-submitted library designs
10:48
in honor of the library's 100th
10:50
birthday. Folks can choose their
10:52
favorite design in three different
10:53
age categories.
10:54
Voting is open through the end of
10:56
the month.
10:57
And we're going to have a link in
10:58
today's podcast show notes.
11:01
And the Texas Department of Public
11:03
Safety is ramping up patrols over
11:05
the July 4th weekend.
11:07
It's part of Operation Crash
11:08
Reduction effort beginning tomorrow
11:10
and running through the 5th.
11:12
DPS Highway Patrol officers
11:14
will be watching for speeding,
11:16
impaired driving, and failing to
11:18
comply with the state's move over
11:20
slow down law.
11:21
During this enforcement period last
11:23
year, DPS arrested nearly
11:25
300 people for DWI
11:27
and issued just over 5,000
11:29
citations for speeding.
11:31
No reason to do it.
11:32
You can Uber, you can bike, you
11:34
walk.
11:35
Do not drive impaired.
11:37
Be safe out there and be respectful
11:39
of others, most importantly.
11:42
This is Austin Signal and we
11:44
have more show coming up for you
11:45
after this break.
11:47
Stay with us.
12:00
You're listening to Austin Signal.
12:02
I'm Nami Surur, creator of the
12:04
live storytelling event, Accent
12:05
Unmuted.
12:07
Ever been between a rock and a hard
12:08
place? I mean, literally?
12:10
Well, storyteller Babi Nagarajan
12:13
tells the story of how ignoring a
12:14
literal red flag got him in
12:16
that situation.
12:19
It is a gorgeous
12:21
day in Hawaii.
12:23
The sun is beaming down on
12:26
waves that cascade with
12:28
a perfect cadence.
12:30
And I, I'm
12:32
ready to hit the beach.
12:33
I am bounding down the
12:35
shore, rental surfboard in
12:37
hand, I get on the water,
12:40
start paddling out,
12:43
and to my dismay I notice the beach
12:44
is very crowded.
12:46
Turns out, I am not the only genius
12:48
who had the idea to go...
12:50
Surfing on this perfect day,
12:52
but then out of the corner of my
12:54
eye I
12:56
see an untouched part of the ocean
12:58
and it calls out to me
13:00
It's beautiful.
13:02
Oh, yeah, and of course, I
13:04
don't notice this as much, but it's
13:06
also past a red flag
13:08
On the shore can't be that much of
13:10
a big deal, right?
13:12
It's vacant Instinctively without
13:13
even missing a beat.
13:14
I turn my board towards
13:17
the vacant part of ocean
13:19
And once I'm there,
13:22
angle my board back to the beach
13:23
and wait for the perfect
13:26
wave to catch.
13:28
Nothing.
13:30
A couple of bumps, mini waves,
13:32
but not something strong enough to
13:34
ride back to shore.
13:37
At this point, I'm even more
13:38
dismayed.
13:39
My rental window is
13:41
running out and I want to make the
13:42
best of my time.
13:43
So I figure the best course of
13:45
action is to paddle back to the
13:47
shore and to scout
13:49
for good waves.
13:51
So once again, I
13:53
start paddling.
13:55
Paddling.
13:56
Paddling!
13:57
Now, a little bit of context.
14:00
In order to get the confidence I had
14:02
to take on the solo mission, I
14:03
had been surfing for around three
14:05
years, all over the world,
14:09
with lessons.
14:10
And that's what inspired me
14:12
to go off and do this
14:14
on my own.
14:16
So I was feeling good about myself.
14:18
Until I realized that the paddling
14:20
wasn't getting me anywhere.
14:24
Something was wrong.
14:26
I was caught between two swells
14:28
of waves that were moving in sync.
14:30
So regardless of how hard I paddled,
14:32
how hard I kicked, I just wasn't
14:34
getting back to shore.
14:37
So that's what the red flags were
14:38
there for.
14:39
I thought that might be useful to
14:41
remember, but it hit me like a
14:42
brick.
14:44
The gravity of the situation starts
14:45
to get to me. I start getting
14:46
nervous. Every fiber of my being
14:48
wants to scream out loud.
14:50
Am I gonna die here?
14:52
Am I stuck here?
14:53
Should I scream for help?
14:55
Should I frantically wave around?
14:58
But then I breathe.
15:05
I need to keep my peace.
15:09
It's a beautiful day after all,
15:11
it's gorgeous.
15:14
But I also need to get out of here.
15:16
What I realize is that since
15:18
the waves are pushing me back and
15:20
forth in the same place, all I have
15:21
to do is to take
15:23
two steps forward.
15:26
While being pushed one step back.
15:28
But my paddling wasn't enough, so
15:30
what should I do?
15:35
Aha, I realize
15:37
I'm not in that deep.
15:40
I'm probably closer to the
15:41
ocean floor than I think,
15:44
so maybe I could use the
15:46
ocean floor to push me
15:48
towards the shore while
15:50
paddling at the same time.
15:51
So I give it a shot.
15:52
Bored in one hand,
15:54
I descend.
15:58
Find with my feet to see if
16:00
there's anything to push off of
16:01
against and
16:04
I find a rock, amazing,
16:07
this might work.
16:08
I push off as hard as I can,
16:10
rise up in one fluid motion,
16:13
and use the momentum to glide.
16:16
I relax, get a few paddles
16:18
in, in the meantime.
16:20
But this is worth a shot, I try it
16:21
again.
16:22
Descend, find something with my
16:24
feet, this time it's just the ocean
16:26
bed, it's sand, but I push as
16:28
hard I can.
16:29
Rise back up again, and
16:31
glide. And
16:33
while I'm exhausted...
16:35
I'm terrified.
16:38
I keep telling myself to
16:40
push.
16:41
Until after a couple of repetitions.
16:45
The ocean floor is shallow enough
16:46
for me to rise up,
16:49
grab my board, and walk back
16:51
to shore. And let me tell you, it
16:52
was the best walk I
16:54
have ever taken!
16:56
My God, I was exhausted, I tired,
16:59
I scared, but at the end I was
17:01
victorious and I decided to
17:03
trade my rental surfboard back in
17:05
for a beer.
17:07
That was enough surfing for today.
17:11
Now looking back, I
17:13
realized why that
17:15
vacant part of the ocean truly
17:16
called out to me.
17:18
More than just the secluded location
17:20
and the ability to surf great waves.
17:23
Between growing up in
17:25
India, being very
17:27
sheltered in a schooling system
17:30
that emphasized
17:31
memorization over mindsets,
17:34
as well as an odd EHD diagnosis at
17:36
a very young age, I felt like my
17:38
life was a script that was written
17:39
for me.
17:41
Often times I felt like the
17:42
opportunities to think
17:44
independently, to think about
17:45
creative solutions, to think outside
17:47
the box,
17:49
were limited to few.
17:54
It was when I left for college that
17:56
I found myself subconsciously
17:58
just really
18:00
seeking out opportunities to use
18:02
my creative thinking, to be
18:04
independent, to be out on
18:06
my own.
18:08
And despite this being truly a
18:10
near-death experience with the
18:12
danger of the swell,
18:14
I am glad that happened because
18:16
that proved something to myself.
18:19
I learned that when
18:21
the chips are down,
18:24
and your luck has run out, I had
18:26
what it takes to think on
18:29
my feet.
18:32
Turns out all you have to do when
18:34
you're struggling is to...
18:42
And I guess it doesn't
18:44
help to avoid literal red
18:46
flags, right? That's probably a good
18:47
survival instinct.
18:48
Thank you.
18:50
That was Babi Nagarajan,
18:52
telling his story to a live audience
18:54
at a recent Accent Unmuted in
18:56
Studio 1A here at KUT.
18:59
I'm Nami Sirur, this is
19:00
Austin Signal.
19:08
The U.S.
19:09
Men's national team won their World
19:11
Cup group and begin the knockout
19:13
stage of their tournament tonight at
19:15
7pm local time against Bosnia
19:17
and Herzegovina.
19:18
The U-S is hosting the World Cup for
19:20
the first time since 1994,
19:22
along with fellow hosts Mexico and
19:24
Canada, who both emerged victorious
19:26
in their round of 32 matchup.
19:28
Soccer has seen an explosion in
19:30
popularity since that 1994 World
19:32
Cup, including the rise of Major
19:34
league soccer.
19:35
And on the latest episode of the
19:37
Vamos Verde podcast, hosts Jimmy
19:39
Moss and Juan Diego Garcia
19:41
spoke with former U.S.
19:42
Player Giasi Zardes about the team,
19:45
the sport, and its future in this
19:46
country. This conversation was
19:48
recorded live at Casa Verde at
19:50
Incahoots during a recent World
19:52
Cup watch party.
19:54
How much do you think back to like
19:56
your time with the U.S.
19:58
Men's national team and the bonds
19:59
you cemented during those
20:01
times or maybe some of the grudges
20:03
you bore during those times?
20:05
Yeah, so, man, I love
20:07
representing our country, you know.
20:09
It's been a tremendous honor to play
20:11
for the U.S. Men's National Team.
20:13
But even, I went to game one in
20:14
Los Angeles, in my hometown, and
20:16
the one thing I love, I looked
20:18
around, I had my old teammate,
20:20
Joe Corona, sitting a couple rows
20:22
behind me.
20:23
I walk up to get my son some food,
20:25
guess who I run into, Josie Altidor,
20:27
my old teammates.
20:28
So things like this, we reminisced,
20:30
and we wish we were on the field.
20:31
We're always gonna have that
20:32
feeling, but at the same time.
20:34
We understand our whole
20:36
time while we were playing, we were
20:38
supposed to inspire that next
20:39
generation, and here go the next
20:41
generation. So now these guys are
20:43
continuing that legacy and inspiring
20:45
the next-generation of players that
20:47
are, I see little kids watching the
20:49
World Cup game.
20:50
Even at the actual games, I see
20:52
kids enduring these moments with
20:54
their families, things that's gonna
20:55
go a long way, and hopefully one day
20:57
we get to see those younger kids
20:59
when they step on the field and
21:01
represent their country as well.
21:02
Zardis likes what he's seen so far
21:04
from the U.S.
21:05
Team. He talked about the different
21:06
ways the team can hurt opponents,
21:08
the depth off the bench, and the
21:10
performance of some of the stars,
21:12
but it's not all about what the
21:13
players contribute on the pitch.
21:15
I know behind the scenes when it
21:17
comes to selecting a roster for
21:19
a World Cup, there's other factors.
21:21
It's not just what you do on the
21:22
field, it's what you off the field
21:24
and also certain players that
21:26
interact together.
21:27
For example, Christian Rodin,
21:30
in the locker room, incredible
21:31
person. On the field?
21:33
Incredible player.
21:34
But you have guys like that
21:36
within the locker to keep the team
21:37
together.
21:38
Yes, we're winning games and we
21:40
haven't lost and I hope we don't
21:42
lose, but that
21:44
Those kind of moments outside of
21:46
the field plays a huge role
21:48
onto the results.
21:50
Getting stuck into tackles, battles
21:51
on the field.
21:52
Every little tackle, I'm watching
21:54
the surrounding players and how they
21:55
react to help their teammate.
21:57
Are they fighting the other players
21:58
or breaking up certain things being
21:59
smart? And little details like
22:01
that in a big tournament like this,
22:03
you know, you can see how tight-knit
22:05
this locker room is.
22:07
That was former U.S.
22:08
Men's national team striker Gias
22:10
Izarda speaking with Juan Diego
22:12
Garcia and Jimmy Moss, the
22:13
hosts of the Vamos Verde podcast.
22:16
You can find a link to their full
22:18
conversation in today's podcast,
22:20
Show Notes.
22:21
That is it for today's
22:23
show. Thank you for being with us
22:25
and tuning in. You can always find
22:26
more of the stories that we've
22:28
shared with you over at kut.org
22:32
slash signal.
22:34
Rene Chavez is our technical
22:35
director, Alexandra Hart is our
22:37
producer, Kristen Cabrera is
22:40
our managing producer.
22:42
I'm your host, Jerry Quijano, Austin
22:43
Signal. We'll be back at the same
22:45
time tomorrow, and we'll talk to you
22:47
then. Have a great day.