I hope our students and families had a great time with the extra days off last week! These days were used for staff training. Over 5,200 school staff members — including teachers, principals and other employees — got to learn new things specific to their jobs:

• Campus leaders led sessions on providing additional support to students who need extra help after the initial lesson.

• 12 middle schools received real-time professional learning on curriculum and instruction.

• Elementary school counselors led trainings about student mental health.

• Teachers and staff also had the chance to choose their own training based on their interests.

This week is Custodian and Groundskeeping Appreciation Week. The work they do is critical for the smooth running of our schools so be sure to thank them for their hard work and all they do to support our students. 

• Last Thursday the board held their regular voting meeting where they discussed streamlining the district scorecard. Back in June 2024, our board and my administration worked hard to adopt a student-centered scorecard that reflects our district’s priorities and values. This update is in recognition of our need to focus our energies on some critical areas of improvement for our district as we navigate our accountability and budget challenges. I want to emphasize that the scorecard items that were removed will remain a priority for our district. So while we won’t provide updates in those areas as frequently, we’re still committed to tracking our progress and supporting those efforts.

• Last week also marked some exciting milestones in our 2022 Bond program. On Friday, we broke ground on the full modernization for Burnet Middle School. The event included performances from the Burnet cheer team and the Burnet and Navarro ECHS drumlines. The modernized campus is anticipated to open in fall 2027. Additionally, the Travis ECHS project team celebrated the completion of the steel framing on the full modernization of Travis ECHS. The fully modernized campus is anticipated to open in fall 2028.

• On Saturday, we were joined by more than 250 Austin ISD caregivers and 60+ vendors at Bowie High school for our first ever Austin ISD Transition Fair. Families explored the world of special education transitions including employment, education and training, independent living and recreation and leisure opportunities in our community. Thanks to all our community partners and families for making this such a successful event that we’re excited to grow in the future. 

• This week, the UpClose class of 2026 will have their first session of the year at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center. I'll share a snapshot of our district including highlights and challenges. I’ll be joined by Board President Boswell who will share the ins and outs of school governance and Executive Director of Innovation and Development, Michelle Wallis, who will talk about how the Austin Ed fund creates and manages partnerships in the public and private sector to promote innovation and student achievement in our schools. 

• On Wednesday, we’ll be convening our Early Literacy Thought Partners, which have been a powerful force behind our gains in early literacy. Through this initiative, 36 Austin ISD elementary schools have benefitted from instructional coaching and training in the use of high-quality instructional materials — and the gains we’re seeing are extremely promising. We’ve seen significant growth in every student group, with African American students seeing a 13 point drop in the percentage of students requiring intervention. In addition to discussing trends in our early literacy data, we’ll also continue conversations around expanding this work to numeracy and at the secondary level.

• This Friday we’ll reach a major milestone in our school consolidation and boundary change process. We’ll release the draft plan, which will include a list of potential school closures, boundary changes, updated feeder patterns and program placements and proposed transfer policy updates. We will also share 33 draft Turnaround Plans and Targeted Improvement Plans. Families and staff at every campus will receive communication outlining any proposed changes specific to their schools. The preliminary package will include an executive summary highlighting different aspects of the plan and how it aligns with our guiding principles, information about transition plans, FAQs and one-pagers with a brief narrative and comparison maps for every campus. 

I know this week feels heavy for many in our community, as the talk of school consolidation and boundary changes brings uncertainty about the future of our schools. Please know that I share your concern. Every day, I am humbled and inspired by the love and passion our community holds for our schools, a love I share deeply.

This work is driven by a powerful belief that our community shares: every single family deserves an excellent neighborhood school — one that is vibrant, well-resourced, and fully equipped to meet the unique needs of every child who walks through its doors.

To get there, we are going to have to make some of the hardest decisions our district has ever faced. This first draft of the plan is not going to be perfect. There are no easy, clear-cut solutions to this scale of change. We will continue to engage with our community and refine the plan over the coming weeks as we move toward the November 20 board vote.

Once again, if there’s anything that needs to be on my radar, let me know.

Recognize our amazing staff each month by submitting a RAVE!

Follow me on Instagram @matias_aisd. #StrongSchoolsStrongerAustin

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