Austin Vertical Team
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📢 Status Update: Austin ISD Boundary Realignment Timeline (August 4, 2026)
Following our committee's data presentation on August 3, 2026, we received an update from Dr. Raechel French regarding Austin ISD’s current boundary timeline:
Timeline Deferred: Comprehensive boundary changes across the district are deferred until Spring 2027 to allow for further evaluation.
Phase 1 Status: Lee Elementary is excluded from the immediate Phase 1 implementation rollout.
Policy Review: AISD will utilize this interim period to review baseline metrics regarding student disruption and safety.
Our committee will maintain communication with district leadership this fall. We have requested formal notification when spring parent engagement resumes so our community can constructively participate.
Community Continuity & Enrollment Stability:
A Data-Driven Response to Proposed AISD Boundary Realignment Scenarios
Prepared by the Members of the Lee Elementary School Community - July 20, 2026
📊 The Power of Our Community Data
Between June 26 and July 15, 2026, our neighborhood mobilized during the middle of summer break to deliver undeniable, high-signal data:
291 Households: Total eligible footprint.
108 Verified Responses: Unique, address-verified households.
37.1% Response Rate: Nearly triple the standard district school-year average.
60 Support Signatures: Formally endorsed by name (see below) to preserve our path... Neighbors Standing Together!
👥 Neighbors Standing Together
The following 60 Russell Lee Elementary households have formally signed below, advocating for human-centered data, and strongly urge that AISD preserve the safe, logical community continuity track from Lee Elementary to O'Henry Middle School and Austin High School.
Altuna Family
Angelilli & Stephanie Chang Family, Edward
Behbahani & Ravi Randhawa Family, Bahareh
Bell Family, Sulak
Berens & Elizabeth (Beth) Albrecht Family, Steve
Blair Family, Caitlin, Chris, Grace and Theadore
Bohuslav & Claire McDonough Family, Matt
Brown Family, Amanda and Zach
Brown Family, Ross
Burke Family
Carroll Family, Erica and Jack
Caven Family, Russell
Cesak Family, Jay
Chopra Family, Amie and Aditya
Corbett Family, Alexa and Billy
Crouch Family, Saundra and Charles
Davies Family, Leslie
Dentler Family, Alice and Patrick
Dentler Family, Joan
Desloge Family, Erin and Matt
Doerge Family, Olivia
Donegan Family, Jennifer and Sherman
Duffie Family, Connor
Dunnam & Van Hoose Family, Zack and Sarah
Earle Family, Normajean and Jason
Eastman Family, Destanie
Fitzgerald Family, Aileen
Fuentes & April Salinas Family, Andrew
Gonzalez Family, Chelsea and Stephen
Hale Family, Cody
Hunzinger Family, Heather and Toby
Kirmani & Anna Dvorak Family, Asad
Lamb Family, Lindsay
Litterski & Karlie Lemos Family, Nick
McCartney Family, Michelle and Matt
McGrath / Hazan Family
Messbauer Family, Amanda and Tommy
Monteleone Family, Vincent and Lindsey
Moore-Gately Family
Morris Family, Ashley Holladay
Nelson Family, Ashley and Billy
Nitschke Family
Orenstein Family, Katie and Ryan
Parrett Family
Peterson Family, Elizabeth
Phillips Family, Kristina
Piper Family, Karen and Ted
Prince & Lilli Salerno Family, Evan
Riti-Norwood Family
Rohan Family, Bonnie and Ted
Salerno & Evan Prince Family, Lilli
Savchenko Family, Anastasiya
Sharp Family, Brigitte and Spencer
Smith Family, Rachel
Spagnolo Family, Allison and Steve
Spelber Family, Darin and David
Staples Family, Jennifer and John
Stone Family, Beth
Viedma Family
Virosko & Adrien Dula Family, Jack
Wylie Family, Stacee and Nate
🏡 Why "Community Continuity" Matters
Our survey highlights that families do not live in isolation; daily routines are anchored around localized Central Austin infrastructure:
91.1% of Families actively rely on local infrastructure (Shipe Pool, WAYA, neighbor carpools, local childcare) for daily stability.
92.1% of Children participate in weekly or more frequent localized social and civic interactions within current school boundaries.
90.4% of Parents state it is extremely important to maintain active social, athletic, and civic connections by keeping our neighborhood cluster together.
Forcing an eastern or northern secondary track completely severs these local neighborhood safety nets.
🛑 Four Critical Misalignments in the District's Plan
When contrasted against actual neighborhood realities, the district's official "Measures of Success" dissolve into clearly adverse outcomes:
The "Minimize Disruption" Flaw (Triple Disruption)
Multiple surveyed households include families deeply impacted by the recent closure of Ridgetop Elementary. For these vulnerable students, this proposal represents a third rezoning in three consecutive years.The "Academic Baseline" Promise vs. Reality
The plan forces families to transition from A-rated middle schools (87%+ STAAR pass rates) to Webb Middle School—an F-rated campus with a 38% pass rate and no funded turnaround plan.The "Aligned Feeder" Breakdown (The Marshall MS Dynamic)
The algorithm treats Lee Elementary families as a mechanical, clunky "plug" to balance nearby math for the new General Marshall Middle School, splitting our kids from their peer tracks at high school entry.The "Safety" Concern vs. An Active Construction Corridor
Commuting to Webb MS forces middle schoolers to cross an active interstate right as it collides with the 10-year TxDOT I-35 Capital Express project. Local commutes would soar from under 15 minutes to over 35 minutes each way.
📈 Projected Parent Actions: Rejection vs. Retention
Our data reveals an immediate, critical threat to Austin ISD’s enrollment stabilization efforts. If forced into these paths, over 97% of families reject the track. Instead of balancing budgets, these paths act as catalyst events for parent flight in Central Austin.
Proposed Scenario / Track
Elm Scenario (Webb MS ➔ Eastside HS)
Oak Scenario (Webb MS ➔ Austin HS)
The "Third Way" (O'Henry MS ➔ Austin HS)
% Exit AISD Completely
51.8%
36.8%
4.4%
% Apply for a Transfer
28.9%
36.0%
5.3%
% Apply for Kealing Magnet
14.9%
22.8%
13.3%
% Will Attend Zoned Track
2.6%
2.6%
76.3%
(Note: Data derived from verified household entries. Rows may not add up exactly to 100% due to multi-choice variations.)
🌟 The Constructive Solution: Adopt the "Third Way"
If Austin ISD utilizes the safe, logical October 2025 Boundary framework (Lee ES ➔ O'Henry MS ➔ Austin HS), the district achieves near-perfect alignment:
94.4% Total District Retention: 75.9% remain for the O'Henry track, and 13.0% stay via the Kealing Magnet program. Only 4.6% would leave.
Logistical & Commute Sanity: Commuting southwest aligns with existing parent transit patterns and central employment hubs, completely avoiding the dangerous I-35 construction.
Preservation of Community Continuity: This track keeps the established central neighborhood cluster (Mathews, Casis, Bryker Woods, Lee) together, preserving vital civic, athletic, and neighborhood safety nets such as WAYA, ChampionsTX Summer Camps.
Our Appeal to the Board: Enacting Oak or Elm will permanently shrink the AISD student population by driving highly engaged families into private and charter alternatives. Protect district enrollment, honor geographic neighborhoods, and preserve student safety by adopting the original October 2025 zoning track.
Austin ISD slows boundary plan, pushes some changes to 2027-28 school year - (Click link to see video on KXAN)
Austin ISD slows boundary plan, pushes some changes to 2027-28 school year - (Click link to see video on KXAN)
Jun 29 / 2026, 5:54 PM CDT
Austin ISD delayed a plan to redraw most of the district's zones, which impacts which schools students feed into, by a year. But some changes are still happening in fall 2027.
Pecan Press July 2026 - Page 1.pdfPecan Press July 2026 - Page 18.pdf
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