Texas Council for International Studies was the sole bidder to take operational control of Dobie, Webb and Burnet middle schools, leaving Austin ISD with a single option as it races to avoid possible state intervention, records obtained by Austin Current through a public information request show.
Austin ISD board members voted in March to partner with Texas Council for International Studies and hand the nonprofit operational control of the three failing schools for the next three school years in a high-stakes effort to improve academic performance and prevent state action. District leaders then submitted an application to the state for partnership benefits under the SB 1882 program, which includes staving off a state intervention should any of the campuses receive a critical fifth failing academic accountability score from Texas this school year.
At the time of the vote, Austin ISD had not disclosed how many groups had applied or who was under consideration and attempted to block Austin Current from obtaining the information, seeking an opinion from the Attorney General’s office.
After a months-long search that produced just one applicant, district leaders now await a decision, expected by the end of May, from the Texas Education Agency on whether the partnership is eligible for SB 1882 benefits. If Texas denies the district, and any of the three schools receive a fifth failing rating, state law would force the education commissioner to either close the campus or appoint a board of managers to replace the elected school board, stripping the district of local control.
Question over transparency and delays
Austin Current requested a list of the bidders in January under the Texas Public Information Act, after the published deadline on Austin ISD’s published call for proposals had already passed in October. The district, however, asked the Texas Attorney General whether it could legally keep the identities of the applicants secret, claiming it could negatively affect an ongoing bidding process.
According to the district’s published Request for Proposals, Austin ISD leaders opened the bidding process for potential partners in September and closed it by Oct. 21, after which proposals received would not be considered “to ensure a fair and transparent solicitation process and the integrity of submissions.” However, a district spokesperson told Austin Current in February the district was still accepting proposals and had yet to select a partner.
Districts may publish a Call for Quality Schools to invite operating partners to run new or existing schools, the Texas Education Agency said in a statement at the time, adding it is at the districts discretion to select a partner and whether to continue accepting bids. That flexibility allows districts to extend or adjust timelines, even after formal deadlines have passed.
Earlier this month, the Texas Attorney General’s Office ruled that the district had waited too long to ask the state to intervene on the request and had failed to provide a compelling reason to be exempt from this deadline. Under state law, if a public agency does not request a ruling from the Attorney General’s Office within 10 business days of receiving a public information request, the records are presumed public unless a compelling enough reason exists to withhold them to overlook the deadline.
Bill Aleshire, owner of AleshireLaw PC and a hotline attorney for the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, denounced the request for a ruling as a delay tactic to keep the information from becoming public without cause.
“It was inappropriate, in my opinion, for them to use the TPIA AG ruling process to further delay the release of the information,” Aleshire said. “There was no compelling reason for them to withhold the information, there was no compelling reason for them to ask the AG for a ruling, there is no compelling reason why they were late asking for one.”
What’s next for Dobie, Webb and Burnet
If approved by the state, Texas Council for International Studies will take on operational control of Dobie, Webb and Burnet middle schools this fall, with the contract officially starting in July. Joshua Jeon, executive director of governance, accountability and board services at Austin ISD, said the agreement would continue even if the state denies some or all SB1882 benefits.
“We are excited,” Jeon said. “We have faith in their track record of having turned around campuses and have also seen they are a great partner to do the work.”
A nonprofit group focused on supporting schools that use International Baccalaureate programs, Texas Council for International Studies operates more than a dozen SB 1882 partnerships across Texas in Edgewood, Longview and San Antonio ISDs. Several of those partnerships began with schools carrying ratings similar to Dobie, Webb and Burnet, with mixed results.
Earlier this year, Superintendent Matias Segura presented assessment data showing students at the three campuses have made significant improvement, particularly in seventh and eighth grade math and reading testing at Burnet and Dobie middle schools. However, board members agreed the improvements did not indicate the schools could consistently move up two accountability letter grades needed to avoid state intervention this school year.
Finding a partner that meets the state’s requirements for SB1882 benefits is a challenging process, Jeon said, adding few organizations meet the state’s criteria.
“What we are sensing from throughout the state is it is almost a rarity for a partner to fit the bill,” Jeon said.
Fiza Mairaj, research scientist at the University of Houston’s College of Education, said after analyzing contracts statewide, partner organizations are more likely to bid on schools in particular regions. One bid, she said, likely means there are not many organizations willing to turn around schools in Austin. While the state doesn’t impose many requirements for providers, the majority of partnerships are for innovation, not to improve failing schools, because it is very challenging work in a small amount of time.
“It is very hard to turn around a school and accountability is only waived for two years,” Mairaj said.
The district also attempted to recruit potential partners through outreach, but Texas Council International Studies was ultimately the only group to apply.
Austin ISD leaders visited schools in San Antonio currently operated by Texas Council for International Studies. In March, Segura said the district consulted with TEA on partnership design and ultimately determined the nonprofit met its expectations.
Jeon said Texas Council for International Studies has already identified a chief of schools for the three campuses and that leaders are now working to hire principals for Dobie, Webb and Burnet. The schools’ current principals are welcome to apply, Jeon said, but not guaranteed. Additionally, Jeon said all current teachers who wish to stay at the campuses can do so, a provision that is not always guaranteed when an external operator takes control.
“TCIS is honored to partner with AISD and excited about the potential to create exemplary schools for the students and community at Burnet, Dobie, and Webb,” Texas Council for International Studies CEO Margaret Davis said in a statement.
