Austin Mayor Kirk Watson is urging local families to take proactive measures to prevent the Texas Education Agency from executing a districtwide takeover of the Austin Independent School District. In a public message issued to community members, Watson advocated for closing two chronically struggling middle school campuses through formal parent petitions rather than allowing the state to unseat the district’s elected leadership.
The mayor laid out his strategy in his community newsletter, dubbed the "Watson Wire." In the publication, Watson proposed that parents with children at Burnet Middle School and Webb Middle School formally petition Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath. Rather than allowing the state to assume control of the entire district, Watson suggested parents request the closure of both facilities and call upon Austin ISD to launch a brand-new campus in North Austin.
The looming threat of state intervention arises from the newly released 2026 state accountability ratings. Both Burnet and Webb middle schools received failing marks for the fifth consecutive year. Under a Texas statute passed in 2015, five straight years of unacceptable academic ratings mandate that the state education commissioner take decisive action by either ordering the closure of the underperforming schools or initiating a total takeover of the district.
Under a full state takeover, the state education commissioner would remove the locally elected board of trustees and install an appointed board of managers to oversee district governance. Watson strongly pushed back against that possibility, characterizing a systemic takeover as an overly harsh and inappropriate step for a school system that has shown measurable, districtwide academic growth.
Watson emphasized the broader progress happening across Austin ISD, noting that the district as a whole achieved a B rating with an overall score of 81 in the latest state evaluation cycle. That result marked a significant improvement from the prior year, when the district scored a 79, corresponding to a C letter grade.
Given these districtwide gains, Watson maintained that an all-encompassing state intervention is unwarranted. He stressed that educational authorities and the community must examine whether a targeted intervention focused specifically on the non-compliant campuses could resolve the problem while simultaneously protecting and building upon the steady advancements taking place throughout the wider school district.
To achieve this targeted approach, Watson pointed to specific mechanisms embedded within Texas education law that empower parents to influence the commissioner’s ultimate decision. Under state statutes, once a campus triggers state intervention thresholds, a majority of parents with children enrolled at that school can organize and submit a petition directly to Commissioner Morath requesting either campus closure or the replacement of the elected board.
While state law outlines that the education commissioner may abide by the preferences outlined in such a parent petition, the Texas Education Agency did not immediately respond to inquiries seeking clarification on whether a verified petition legally compels the commissioner to follow the parents' requested route.
As part of the closure strategy, Watson envisioned an alternative path forward that would avoid dispersing impacted students into disparate schools across the city. He proposed housing a newly formed middle school at the current Burnet site, which is already scheduled to undergo substantial infrastructure improvements. The campus is receiving $158 million in modernizations funded by the district's $2.4 billion bond package approved by voters in 2022.
Watson expressed strong confidence in Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura to manage the transition smoothly and equitably. The mayor noted that Segura’s track record demonstrates an ability to develop ambitious restructuring plans that maintain school communities without scattering students from struggling campuses among existing middle schools, provided he has the continued backing of the elected school board.
The academic difficulties at both Burnet and Webb middle schools are deep-seated, as neither campus has managed to meet state academic standards since 2018. In the most recent evaluation, Webb Middle School recorded a performance score of 58 out of 100, while Burnet Middle School earned a 59 out of 100.
These narrow misses proved critical under the state accountability framework. Had either campus achieved a score of 60, it would have qualified for a statutory "pause" year, granting the campus additional time to implement instructional improvements before triggering mandatory state penalties.
Watson's proposed petition strategy is not without historical precedent in Texas public education. In 2019, Snyder ISD faced a similar threat of a state takeover after Snyder Junior High received five consecutive failing ratings under the state accountability system.
In that instance, a majority of parents at Snyder Junior High organized and submitted a petition to Morath requesting that the state close the campus rather than unseat their local school board. In a letter sent to Snyder ISD in January 2020, Morath acknowledged that the parent petition led him to order the closure of the junior high and appoint a state conservator to oversee district decisions instead of replacing the elected trustees.
Neither the Texas Education Agency nor Austin ISD immediately responded to requests for comment regarding Watson’s proposal or the next steps for the district. For now, the future governance of Austin ISD remains poised between community-led restructuring and the prospect of state intervention.
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