Latest / Austin Signal / Families ask to close schools to avoid AISD takeover, City Council District 5 race, UT vs. Florida

Transcript

Families ask to close schools to avoid AISD takeover, City Council District 5 race, UT vs. Florida · Austin Signal

0:08
A group of parents and volunteers at
0:10
two Austin ISD middle schools have
0:12
been petitioning for the district to
0:13
close those campuses after they
0:15
received failing state
0:16
accountability ratings.
0:18
It's an attempt to stop a state
0:19
takeover of the district.
0:20
We'll discuss what's next.
0:22
And as election season gets
0:23
underway, we're taking a look at
0:24
some key local races, including
0:26
a city council district where the
0:28
incumbent is facing an uphill battle
0:29
to keep his seat.
0:31
That's coming up on today's show.
0:33
The Austin Signal is
0:35
a production of KUT News,
0:36
hosted by Alexandra Hart.
0:39
Longhorns fans are recovering after
0:40
UT blew a lead over rival Oklahoma
0:43
last weekend, we'll hear about what
0:44
to expect as they face the Florida
0:46
Gators tomorrow, and we'll go on
0:48
a trip with an Austin choir that's
0:50
performing music inspired by the
0:51
Johns Hopkins psilocybin playlist.
0:54
Tune in, but don't drop out.
0:55
Those stories on today's Austin
0:57
Signal.
1:07
Hello Austin!
1:09
It's Friday, October 16th.
1:11
You're listening to Austin Signal.
1:13
I'm your host Alexandra Hart.
1:15
Thanks for being with us.
1:17
Parents and volunteers at Burnett
1:18
and Webb Middle Schools hurriedly
1:20
worked over the past few days to
1:21
gather enough signatures to request
1:23
the closure of their own schools.
1:25
This move could have potentially
1:27
staved off a state takeover of
1:29
Austin ISD.
1:30
Those signatures were due at
1:31
midnight last night.
1:32
Did they succeed?
1:33
And what does it mean for parents
1:35
and students either way?
1:36
Joining us now is KUT's education
1:38
reporter, Greta Diaz-Gonzalez-Vazquez.
1:41
Greta, thanks for joining us on
1:42
Austin Signal.
1:43
Hi, happy to be here.
1:44
So were volunteers able to gather enough signatures?
1:46
Yes, so they had to
1:48
gather at least 51%
1:50
or 50 plus 1%
1:53
of signatures from
1:55
parents of Webb and Burnett.
1:57
That meant $299 for Burnett
1:59
and $174 for Webb.
2:02
Last night, the Austin
2:04
Council of PTAs told us that
2:05
informed the effort to gather the
2:07
signatures and informed parents,
2:08
told us they had reached that
2:10
minimum goal. Okay, well with that
2:12
news, what does this mean for Webb
2:13
and Burnett schools?
2:14
So after they validate that
2:16
they have enough signatures because
2:18
the district has to validate the
2:19
signatures and we can get into that
2:21
in a little bit.
2:23
Parents will have a say on where
2:25
their kids will go next.
2:26
The schools would close if the
2:27
commissioner approves this plan,
2:29
then the schools would closed and
2:31
parents would have a stay on
2:32
developing that plan.
2:34
And just so we're clear, can you
2:35
give us a little insight into these
2:37
schools in particular, where are
2:38
they located in the city and the
2:40
demographic makeup of the student
2:41
population?
2:42
Yeah, so Webb and
2:44
Burnett, they're both located in
2:45
North Austin, west of I-35.
2:48
Over 70% of their
2:50
students are English language
2:51
learners, and over 80%
2:54
are Hispanic.
2:55
And so that means that a lot of
2:57
the families don't speak English at
2:59
home, and the TEA, the
3:01
Texas Education Agency, only gives
3:03
this information in English about
3:05
the petition, about what it means.
3:06
They only have it in English.
3:07
So a lot of these families didn't
3:09
understand their options and that's
3:11
why was an effort to explain
3:12
it to them but even so they a
3:14
lot of them said they didn't quite
3:16
understand what was happening and
3:18
I spoke to a parent who told
3:20
me that she signed but she
3:22
didn't really know what she was
3:23
signing. Let's listen to her her
3:24
name is Karen Peraza.
3:26
So I didn't translate it because
3:28
my daughter was told to sign
3:30
it, that it was urgent, and then my
3:32
daughter came up and said, Mommy,
3:33
sign this letter
3:35
because it's important so they don't
3:38
close the school.
3:39
So she says that her kid came home
3:41
with the letter and she signed it
3:42
because her kid told her that it was
3:44
so they wouldn't close the school.
3:46
And so she relies on her
3:48
kid for translation and so she
3:50
signed the letter and it was until
3:51
later on that she realized what she
3:53
has signed after talking to other
3:54
parents and she did not
3:56
agree with it. Yeah, so it sounds
3:57
like there was.
3:57
Of some confusion out there as to
3:59
what was going on.
4:00
And then you were out there as
4:01
people were gathering these
4:02
signatures. I know there were some
4:04
additional questions with how this
4:06
was being presented to the parents,
4:07
what were some more of their
4:08
concerns.
4:08
Yeah, so volunteers were outside of
4:10
the schools explaining during
4:12
drop-off and pick-up.
4:13
They were also at some
4:15
after-school activities, but some
4:17
parents said that they felt like
4:19
there wasn't enough time to explain
4:20
something during a drop-up or
4:23
pick- up or explain the whole aspect
4:25
of it.
4:27
It's pretty complex.
4:28
So some of them said there wasn't
4:30
enough time. They didn't understand
4:31
exactly what was happening.
4:32
There were also calls being made to
4:34
these homes and asking them, have
4:35
you signed the petition.
4:37
They, some people also knocked on
4:38
their doors asking them to sign the
4:40
petition. And finally, some of
4:42
the forms had already filled out I
4:44
spoke to another parent who told me
4:45
that she also received a form from
4:47
her kid and it already had her
4:49
name, her kid's name their address,
4:51
their phone number. And so she
4:52
worried about that. She did not sign
4:54
the position.
4:54
And I asked the
4:57
ACPTA president about all
4:59
this and her name is Crystal
5:01
Brothwell Hernandez.
5:02
And she told me that their
5:04
organization did not send the
5:06
signed petitions.
5:07
And that, well, let's listen to her.
5:09
We have.
5:10
Offered blank petitions,
5:12
but there were other volunteers
5:15
who we were
5:16
not directly
5:18
affiliated, but also
5:21
working randomly side
5:23
by side.
5:24
So there are decisions
5:26
made upon other volunteers.
5:28
On that aspect.
5:30
And when I was out there with
5:32
volunteers, I also asked them where
5:33
did you get this information?
5:35
I didn't get a clear response about
5:37
this.
5:38
And so what role does the
5:39
district
5:39
have in this petition process.
5:41
Yeah, so initially they said they
5:42
wouldn't be involved.
5:43
Then they told us this week that
5:45
they got involved by sending
5:46
information to parents, both in
5:47
English and Spanish.
5:48
And we know that kids were sent home
5:50
with the forms in their backpacks.
5:51
And now that the signatures
5:53
have been turned to them, they have
5:55
to validate them.
5:56
The way it's done is the state does
5:57
a snapshot of enrollment every year
5:59
on October 30th.
6:00
So they have compare the signatures
6:02
with that snapshot and make
6:03
sure the signatures match data
6:05
of enrolled students.
6:07
So it has to be exactly the same
6:08
name, the same address from.
6:10
Like information that parents used
6:12
when enrolling their students in
6:13
school, and they have to make sure
6:15
it's 50 plus 1
6:17
percent.
6:18
Well, what's next for Austin ISD,
6:19
and is it clear where we go from
6:20
here? So now we have to
6:22
wait to see if that is validated,
6:24
and then the superintendent has
6:25
to turn that into the state
6:27
by December 1st, and if
6:30
the commissioner
6:31
approves the plan, then
6:33
they would close these schools for
6:36
the next school year, and
6:38
the superintendent would have to
6:39
come up with a plan.
6:40
With parents and where kids
6:42
would go next year.
6:44
Now, I will say the commissioner can
6:46
still decide to close the
6:48
schools and appoint a board of
6:49
managers or appointed supervisors.
6:51
So it's not clear if the
6:53
district has been saved
6:55
from a takeover because that's
6:57
what a take over is, appointing a
6:58
new board of manager.
6:59
And before we let you go, you've
7:01
also been covering the State Board
7:02
of Education race for District 5.
7:04
Can you tell us a bit about that
7:05
district? Is it most of Austin, and
7:07
who's running?
7:07
Yeah, so district five is Bastrop,
7:09
Caldwell, Guadalupe, Hayes,
7:11
Travis, and parts of Blanco and
7:13
Williamson counties.
7:14
I would like to say what the state
7:15
board of education does, which is
7:17
the governing body that
7:19
decides what is taught in K through
7:21
12 schools.
7:21
And it has 15 members that
7:24
decide adopt curriculum standards,
7:26
which are known as TEX, which is
7:27
what is thought in each subject
7:29
area. And they also approve
7:30
instructional materials, including
7:32
reading lists and
7:34
textbooks.
7:36
And so there's two candidates.
7:38
Dolores Micarellano is the
7:40
Republican candidate.
7:41
She is a 30 year old educator
7:43
from Kyle.
7:45
We reached out to her.
7:46
I did get to talk to her,
7:48
but she had agreed to
7:50
do an interview and then she said
7:51
no.
7:53
But from what we know about her from
7:55
her website is
7:57
she says that she knows what
7:58
works in real classrooms, not
8:00
just policy discussions.
8:02
And that she knows what needs to be
8:04
fixed and how to fix it.
8:05
And she's running on a plan to
8:06
improve five areas of public
8:08
education, which include school
8:10
safety, strong curriculum standards,
8:12
retaining and supporting educators
8:14
and ensuring tax dollars
8:16
are spent on students and
8:17
classrooms, not unnecessary
8:19
bureaucracy, which we've
8:21
heard from our
8:23
state officials recently.
8:24
And then there's also from the
8:26
Democratic Party, we have Alison
8:28
Bush. She is also a former
8:30
teacher. She has spent 25 years
8:32
teaching in, part
8:34
of it in Central Texas and
8:35
Pflugerville and Bastrop.
8:37
And she said that she decided to run
8:38
for the State Board of Education
8:40
because there's not a lot of
8:42
voices from educators that
8:44
actually know what happens in the
8:45
classroom. So she wanted to be that
8:47
voice in the class room and
8:49
tell them about what teachers really
8:51
need because that- was
8:53
part of what was discussed
8:55
this year with a very long
8:57
reading list that was approved.
8:59
She said that recently the State
9:01
Board of Education has made changes
9:03
by quote motivated
9:05
or changes
9:07
motivated by political agendas and
9:09
so she wanted to make that work and
9:10
she hopes that they can put
9:12
political ideology aside
9:13
and work for Texas
9:15
students.
9:16
And then she also said
9:18
that, and I'm going to quote here,
9:21
that the State Board of Education
9:23
was passing changes,
9:26
telling our students what to think
9:28
and not teaching them how to think.
9:30
So she wants to leave audiology
9:32
out of education
9:34
and that she hopes to work
9:36
across the aisle and hopes to
9:38
make a more safe
9:40
environment for teachers in the
9:42
state.
9:42
All right, we've been speaking with
9:43
KUT's education reporter, Greta
9:45
Diaz-Gonzalez-Vazquez.
9:46
We'll have links to both of her
9:48
stories in today's show notes.
9:50
Greta, thanks for joining us.
9:51
Thank you.
10:01
Austin City Councilmember Ryan Alter
10:03
has an uphill battle to secure a
10:05
second term in office.
10:06
Alter faces three challengers who
10:08
say it's time for new leadership in
10:10
District 5.
10:11
KUT's Luz Moreno-Luzano tells
10:13
us about the candidates.
10:15
When Ryan Alter ran for City Council
10:16
four years ago, he vowed to put a
10:18
focus on affordability in District
10:20
5, which includes parts of South
10:22
Austin.
10:22
Four years later we've achieved some
10:24
really amazing results.
10:26
Housing costs are down faster in
10:27
Austin than any other major city in
10:28
the country.
10:29
We've nearly doubled the senior
10:30
homestead exemption.
10:32
We have made it so that landlords
10:33
can't surprise renters with hidden
10:35
fees.
10:36
But the problem is that while
10:38
we are saving people money it is
10:40
going in one hand and out the other.
10:42
He blames that on tariffs and war,
10:44
driving up the price of gas and
10:46
groceries.
10:47
But Alters' three opponents, David
10:48
Weinberg, Liz Brink, and Farrah
10:50
Abraham are pushing back on his
10:52
narrative Austin has gotten more
10:53
affordable.
10:54
Property taxes have increased, fees
10:56
are up for utilities like water,
10:58
electricity, and trash, and the city
11:00
is again asking voters to consider
11:02
a bond package that would further
11:03
increase taxes.
11:05
Weinberg led the Texas League of
11:07
Conservation Voters for six years.
11:09
He says tackling affordability is
11:11
a balancing act.
11:12
We need to have folks at City Hall
11:13
who are doing a much better job
11:15
of engaging with their communities,
11:18
providing excellent constituent
11:19
service, and really meeting people
11:20
in the middle.
11:21
I feel like we've got sort of a
11:23
council that's pretty distant from
11:25
the rank and file in terms of their
11:26
priorities.
11:27
Weinberg and Alter spoke during a
11:29
recent candidate forum at KUT.
11:31
Brink did not participate or reply
11:33
to a request for an interview.
11:35
Abraham did not attend, but sent
11:37
responses via email.
11:38
The former reality TV star says
11:40
South Austin families are feeling
11:42
the pinch of rising cost while parks
11:44
and roads get neglected.
11:45
She favors economic revitalization
11:47
and updating land use rules to avoid
11:49
driving up property taxes.
11:52
Austin has been facing budgetary
11:53
constraints. The city is hoping to
11:55
pay for some park and library
11:56
improvements through a $295
11:59
million bond package.
12:01
It would raise property taxes by
12:02
about $40 a year on an
12:04
average-valued house.
12:06
Alter and Weinberg support the bond
12:08
package despite their push for
12:09
affordability.
12:11
Abraham says quote, taxpayers
12:12
deserve complete transparency before
12:14
approving new debt.
12:17
Then there is the issue of auditing
12:18
city spending.
12:19
The City Council hired an
12:21
independent auditor and began the
12:22
process this summer.
12:24
But some believe it should happen
12:25
more regularly.
12:26
Austin voters will decide on a
12:28
permanent charter amendment known as
12:29
Proposition I this November.
12:31
It calls for an independent audit
12:32
every five years.
12:34
Weinberg and Abraham support that
12:36
measure. Alter does not, saying Prop
12:38
I is surface level and problematic.
12:40
And there's a motivation for the
12:42
auditor within that, that they have
12:44
to recommend as much as
12:46
their fee is going to be.
12:47
So they are incentivized to just
12:49
come up with whatever, throw
12:50
spaghetti on the wall, as it were,
12:52
in order to justify their fees.
12:54
And I don't think that's really
12:56
the right way to go.
12:57
The candidates agree more work is
12:59
needed to address homelessness,
13:00
including increasing shelter beds
13:02
and access to resources across the
13:03
city.
13:04
They share similar views on the
13:06
privacy concerns around automated
13:07
license plate readers.
13:09
Alter and Weinberg both support the
13:11
plan to create a standalone 911 call
13:13
center.
13:14
Abraham says she stands with the
13:16
three public safety chiefs who spoke
13:17
out against the move.
13:19
Alter hopes for another four years
13:21
to continue building on the work
13:23
he's done.
13:24
Abraham says she wants to focus on
13:26
supporting local businesses and
13:27
minimizing wasteful spending.
13:30
Weinberg says for too long City Hall
13:31
has been catering to corporate
13:33
interests instead of residents and
13:34
it's time for a change.
13:36
We've got a big disconnect between
13:37
the policy that's being made at
13:38
council and what folks are asking
13:40
for. I want to run to be
13:42
a listener and someone who's engaged
13:43
in the community and truly listening
13:45
to people on affordability,
13:47
public safety, parks and
13:48
the environment, public amenities.
13:50
Early voting begins Monday, October
13:52
19th.
13:54
Election day is November 3rd.
13:56
I'm Luz Moreno Lozano in Austin.
14:03
The superintendent of Del Valle ISD
14:05
has announced plans to step down.
14:07
Matthew Gutierrez will leave the
14:09
district in November after accepting
14:10
a job with the Region 4 Education
14:13
Service Center based in Houston.
14:15
It's one of 20 such centers created
14:17
by the Texas Legislature to work
14:19
with schools across the state and
14:20
help them operate more efficiently.
14:22
The Del Vale ISD Board of Trustees
14:24
is working on a transition plan and
14:26
is expected to share more details
14:28
soon.
14:29
A much anticipated cold front has
14:32
finally arrived, bringing strong
14:33
winds and temperatures resembling
14:35
actual fall weather, highs in
14:37
the upper 50s to mid 70s.
14:39
National Weather Service has a wind
14:40
advisory in effect until 7
14:42
this evening.
14:43
Winds will be from the north at 25
14:46
to 30 mph with gusts up to
14:48
50.
14:49
A warn of tree limbs could be blown
14:51
down, so be careful out there.
14:53
We'll have more Austin Signal coming
14:55
up after the break.
14:56
Stay with us.
16:00
This is Austin Signal, welcome
16:02
back.
16:03
An Austin choir is presenting a free
16:05
concert this weekend.
16:06
It's called Visionary and it
16:08
promises to take the audience on a
16:10
psychedelic trip through music.
16:12
For KUT's Art Meet, Stephanie
16:14
Federico explains what that means.
16:17
Adrienne Pedrotti Bingamon read a
16:18
story a couple years back about
16:20
patients taking psychedelics to
16:22
treat depression.
16:23
It mentioned a playlist they
16:25
listened to during their trips.
16:26
That sparked an idea.
16:28
That'd be cool to do a whole concert
16:29
that was just music
16:31
from the psychedelic trip playlist.
16:34
Adrienne is the artistic director
16:36
for Austin Cantorum.
16:38
I met her during a rehearsal for
16:39
their upcoming concert at First
16:41
English Lutheran Church in Central
16:42
Austin.
16:43
The group is a semi-professional
16:45
chamber choir made up of mostly
16:47
working adults.
16:48
We specialize in creating
16:51
sort of
16:53
unique emotional experiences
16:55
with our concert that actually
16:57
go on a journey.
16:59
So this psychedelic concert
17:01
sort of fit perfectly with what we
17:03
like to do.
17:04
Johns Hopkins developed the playlist
17:06
to support participants in its
17:07
psilocybin studies.
17:09
Research has found that the chemical
17:11
in so-called magic mushrooms can
17:13
be used to treat adults with major
17:14
depression and PTSD.
17:17
The playlist is nearly eight hours
17:19
long. That's the length of a typical
17:21
mushroom trip.
17:22
Adrienne condensed it to about an
17:24
hour and 20 minutes.
17:26
Singer Holt Skinner will be playing
17:27
the role of trip advisor during the
17:29
show.
17:30
So I'll be kind of be guiding
17:32
the audience through the psychedelic
17:34
trip they'll be experiencing for
17:36
this program
17:37
When Adrian announced that they were
17:39
going to do a concert around the
17:40
playlist, Holt told her about his
17:42
own experience using ketamine to
17:44
treat his depression and anxiety.
17:47
He had even listened to the playlist
17:49
during his treatments.
17:50
And so she thought it would be a
17:52
great part of the
17:54
experience to have someone who's
17:55
experienced this to talk about
17:57
the different phases and how the
17:58
playlist is designed to assist
18:00
patients going through these
18:02
procedures.
18:03
The program is split into phases.
18:05
It mirrors the arc of a psychedelic
18:07
trip.
18:08
Starting with just whenever people
18:09
arrive into the space.
18:11
We're gonna have some classical
18:12
guitar playing, and it's
18:13
designed to kind of help people
18:15
settle in, get comfortable, and
18:17
maybe resolve some of the fear
18:19
they might have around this kind of
18:21
experience.
18:22
Then the program goes into the onset
18:24
phase, where the medicine starts to
18:26
take effect.
18:33
The next phase is the ascent.
18:35
The music starts to become a little
18:37
more unhinged in some ways.
18:39
The climax of the concert is Samuel
18:40
Barber's Agnus Dei, which is
18:42
based on his Sadagio for Strings.
19:01
It's like the unofficial morning
19:02
song of America,
19:04
where everybody knows that that's
19:06
just like the saddest song in
19:08
the world, not song, saddest piece
19:10
in the word.
19:11
But it's also totally,
19:13
it kind of goes up in this totally
19:15
beautiful crescendo,
19:17
and it arrives at this huge
19:19
moment, and just makes
19:21
you, we're gonna make the
19:23
room sort of shudder with our sound,
19:24
so that's gonna be fun.
19:28
After that, the program comes
19:29
back to Earth.
19:31
Adrienne says music can heal and
19:33
open you up to different traumas you
19:34
may not have realized you have.
19:36
She wants the audience to just let
19:38
the music wash over them.
19:40
Let the music take you where you're
19:42
gonna go and don't fight it,
19:44
you know?
19:45
If it brings up bad memories,
19:47
I hope it doesn't, but if it does,
19:50
maybe just allow yourself
19:52
to, you know,
19:54
let the nerves in your brain
19:56
take that into a different avenue
19:58
so that that way you can feel
20:00
something healthy about it.
20:02
She hopes people leave feeling
20:04
emotionally fulfilled.
20:05
But I also hope that people
20:06
understand that psychedelics
20:09
are not just
20:12
like, you know, wood stock and,
20:14
you now,
20:16
it's like it can theoretically have
20:18
really amazing effects on people who
20:20
need that kind of
20:22
therapy.
20:30
Austin Cantorum is not condoning
20:32
drug use at the performance, though.
20:34
Can't regulate what people do when
20:36
they come here, but there is a fire
20:37
station right over there just in
20:39
case anybody.
20:41
She just wants everyone to have a
20:42
good musical trip.
20:44
For KUT's Art Beat, I'm Stephanie
20:46
Federico in Austin.
21:00
Longhorns fans have been licking
21:01
their wounds after UT blew a
21:03
10-point halftime lead against the
21:05
Oklahoma Sooners last weekend in
21:07
the Red River rivalry.
21:09
The Lost scoffs at Longhorn, their
21:10
number one spot in the college
21:12
football rankings, and has people
21:13
wondering what the rest of the
21:14
season will look like for UT.
21:17
The Texas Standards' Angela Kocherga
21:19
spoke with Austin American statesman
21:20
UT beat reporter Danny Davis
21:22
about the Lost and what to
21:24
expect this weekend as the Horns
21:25
face off against the florida gators.
21:28
Well, it was a close game last
21:30
week and Arch Manning threw
21:32
two fourth-quarter interceptions
21:34
How big a deal is that and
21:36
should Texas fans be worried about
21:38
his ability to perform when the game
21:39
is on the line?
21:42
Obviously, it's a big deal.
21:44
I mean, you can't throw two fourth
21:45
quarter interceptions in the SEC.
21:46
This is too good of a conference.
21:48
Even a team like Oklahoma that's
21:49
struggling, that's a team with a big
21:51
budget and some talented players.
21:52
So you can make that many mistakes
21:54
that late in the game.
21:56
But I mean it's one of those things
21:57
with Arch.
21:58
He throws two interceptions and the
21:59
world's ending. He throws to
22:00
touchdown passes and plays like he
22:02
did against Ohio State.
22:03
You know, he's
22:05
king of the world.
22:07
So that's kind of how it is with
22:08
him. He's got to move on to Florida,
22:10
I guess, but obviously he can't
22:12
play the way that he played against
22:14
Oklahoma going forward if he wants
22:15
to lead this team to the promised
22:17
land.
22:18
Yeah, that's a great description.
22:19
Well, it seems like no matter how
22:21
each team is doing, the Red River
22:22
rivalry is always a competitive
22:25
game. I remember those Texas
22:27
OU games back when I was at UT.
22:29
So what is it about this particular
22:31
game that always makes it such
22:33
a toss-up?
22:35
I mean, these are two teams.
22:36
I mean this is what rivalry should
22:37
be. I mean every once in a while
22:38
you'll get a lopsided one.
22:39
Oklahoma had a couple bad losses the
22:41
last couple of years, but they'd
22:42
have like an injured quarterback or
22:44
something weird going on.
22:45
But this is a team that's circled
22:46
on, you know this is the game that's
22:47
circled everyone's calendar the
22:49
entire season.
22:50
You know, Texas doesn't have
22:52
pep rallies for the Florida game.
22:54
And I don't know what Oklahoma does
22:55
to get ready for the Texas game, but
22:56
I'm pretty sure that they, you know
22:58
throw pretty big parties up there
22:59
too. So I mean it's the game that
23:01
you know kids if you grow up a Texas
23:03
man you want to be at Oklahoma.
23:04
Vice versa, it's the same way with
23:06
A&M later in the season.
23:07
So, I mean, Ravera games are
23:08
supposed to be close and the Red
23:10
River game, same way.
23:12
Well, all that said, it's worth
23:13
noting that this season, OU is
23:15
an unranked team.
23:17
They've lost two games already, but
23:18
they still beat the Longhorns last
23:20
weekend. Does Texas need to
23:22
make any changes or was it
23:24
just an off week?
23:26
I mean, Texas isn't going to make
23:27
any changes because Steve Sarkeesian
23:29
can be a little stubborn, but I mean
23:31
we'll see. I mean they,
23:33
Steve is pretty insistent that his
23:35
system works and that he believes in
23:36
his system and his players believe
23:37
in his system.
23:38
And we'll, see I mean there's
23:40
questions about his offensive play
23:41
calling because Texas really
23:42
struggled offensively and
23:45
Steve will point out that offense
23:47
has worked in the past and he won a
23:48
national championship a couple years
23:49
ago.
23:50
At Alabama and that's probably the
23:51
reason why he got the Texas job was
23:52
because of his offensive play call.
23:54
And so he believes in the system.
23:55
We'll see if they can turn it
23:56
around. And then special teams has
23:58
been a disaster the last two weeks.
24:01
But Steve doesn't seem to want to
24:02
let Jeff Banks, the special teams
24:03
coordinator, go.
24:04
He believes in that system.
24:05
He believes it had some success in
24:07
the past.
24:08
That success really hasn't shown
24:09
itself the last few seasons, but
24:11
Texas isn't going to make any
24:12
changes. I don't think they're going to
24:13
make changes the rest of the season.
24:15
If there's going to be changes, it's
24:16
going be in the off season.
24:16
So what you see is kind of what you
24:18
get and it's up to the Longhorns to
24:20
get it figured out in the field.
24:22
Well, the college football playoffs
24:23
have 12 teams this year and Texas
24:25
is currently ranked 7th.
24:27
How much of a setback was this
24:29
loss in terms of making it to the
24:31
postseason?
24:33
I mean, it's not the end of the
24:34
world. I think Texas, it narrows
24:36
Texas' margin
24:38
of error, definitely.
24:40
I think everyone kind of believes
24:41
that two losses is probably the
24:43
cutoff line.
24:44
So Texas has, what, seven games
24:45
left in the season, regular season,
24:48
so they can only really afford one
24:50
loss. The good news for Texas is a
24:51
lot of the teams on its schedule
24:53
have also struggled.
24:54
I mean LSU's kind of falling apart.
24:57
Ole Miss has had a bad loss.
24:59
Florida does not look as good as it
25:00
did a couple weeks ago.
25:02
I mean It's not like they're going
25:03
to, they don't have to face Georgia
25:04
this year.
25:05
So, I mean, Texas is probably going
25:06
to be favored, probably, you know,
25:08
most of his games going forward.
25:09
So they take care of business on the
25:11
field. They'll be in the playoff.
25:12
They may be able to slip up once,
25:14
can slip up twice.
25:15
But the Oklahoma loss definitely
25:16
does not help them, but also
25:18
helps that they beat Ohio State.
25:20
So, I mean they're gonna get dinged
25:21
for the Oklahoma loss,
25:23
they'll get boosted by the Ohio
25:24
State win.
25:25
So that's, you know, evens itself
25:27
out, but they still got to, you
25:28
know, get it done in the field
25:30
Well, let's talk about this weekend.
25:32
The Longhorns are taking on another
25:33
unranked team.
25:35
As you mentioned, the Florida
25:36
Gators.
25:37
What are you going to be looking
25:38
for?
25:39
And we're going to see if Arch
25:40
bounces back, not only from last
25:42
week, but also last year.
25:44
I mean, you know, don't forget this
25:45
is a team that Texas lost at
25:47
Florida last year that probably kept
25:48
them out of the playoff.
25:49
That was 29-22 loss last year,
25:51
some of those Florida players are
25:52
still there, including Jaden Baugh,
25:54
who's a running back, probably one
25:55
of the country's best running back.
25:57
So, you, he's going to have, you
25:59
he's gonna want to come into Austin
26:00
and, you know, he is running pretty
26:01
well the last two years against
26:02
Texas. So we'll see if he can do it
26:03
a third. So we will see how the run
26:05
defense plays against this Russian
26:06
offense of Florida and Arch can get
26:08
things going.
26:09
After after a rough week at the
26:10
Cotton Bowl.
26:12
That was Texas Standard host Angela
26:14
Kocherga speaking with the Austin
26:16
American Statesman UTV writer
26:18
Danny Davis.
26:19
The Longhorns take on the Florida
26:20
Gators at home tomorrow.
26:21
Kickoff is at 11 a.m.
26:24
That's it for us today on Austin's
26:26
Signal. Thank you to KUT's Greta
26:28
Diaz, Gonzalez Vazquez, Luz Moreno
26:31
Lozano and Stephanie Federico
26:32
for their reporting.
26:34
Caroline File is our technical
26:36
director, Kristen Cabrera is our
26:38
managing producer, Jimmy Moss
26:39
is our showrunner, and
26:41
I'm your host, Alexandra Hart.
26:44
Austin Signal will be back on
26:46
Monday.
26:47
We'll talk to you then.
26:48
Have a great weekend.