This has been a difficult start to the Austin Independent School District’s school year with school closures, boundary changes, reduced bus routes and other disruptions. Our school board trustees have faced plenty of criticism, including from me, but they are also making very difficult choices after years of state underfunding and declining enrollment. The State of Texas has diverted public dollars toward private school vouchers while consistently underfunding public education.
Now Austin faces the prospect of a state takeover of its schools by Greg Abbott and Commissioner of Education Mike Morath. That would be a mistake.
Austin ISD is showing progress. This year, the district earned a B rating from the Texas Education Agency, its best rating in four years. The number of A- and B-rated campuses increased from 43 in 2024 to 61 in 2026, while D- and F-rated campuses declined. There are still serious challenges. Some middle schools have received F ratings for five consecutive years, and we must do better for those students. But replacing locally elected trustees with Abbott-appointed management is not the path to improvement.
Austin ISD has demonstrated that local leaders, educators and families can make meaningful progress. The district also successfully completed its special education corrective action and was released from state oversight earlier this year.
Our students deserve excellent schools, and our teachers deserve to be treated as professionals. We should demand accountability and better results while preserving the voice of Austin parents, teachers and voters. Parents, educators, students and community organizations are coming together through Keep Austin Schools Independent to oppose a state takeover. I encourage you to learn more about this organization and its advocacy efforts.
The answer to Austin’s school challenges is not to take Austin’s schools away from Austin. It is to give our educators and communities the resources, support, and local control they need to help every child succeed.
David Weinberg has spent his career protecting the environment, defending voting rights, and standing up for working families, from preserving funding for state parks and fighting voter restrictions to leading local grassroots campaigns. After 16 years in District 5 raising his family and serving the community, he is running for city council to bring that experience to local government.
Stay independent: Don’t give Austin’s schools to Greg Abbott
This has been a difficult start to the Austin Independent School District’s school year with school closures, boundary changes, reduced bus routes and other disruptions. Our school board trustees have faced plenty of criticism, including from me, but they are also making very difficult choices after years of state underfunding and declining enrollment. The State of Texas has diverted public dollars toward private school vouchers while consistently underfunding public education.
Now Austin faces the prospect of a state takeover of its schools by Greg Abbott and Commissioner of Education Mike Morath. That would be a mistake.
Austin ISD is showing progress. This year, the district earned a B rating from the Texas Education Agency, its best rating in four years. The number of A- and B-rated campuses increased from 43 in 2024 to 61 in 2026, while D- and F-rated campuses declined. There are still serious challenges. Some middle schools have received F ratings for five consecutive years, and we must do better for those students. But replacing locally elected trustees with Abbott-appointed management is not the path to improvement.
Austin ISD has demonstrated that local leaders, educators and families can make meaningful progress. The district also successfully completed its special education corrective action and was released from state oversight earlier this year.
Our students deserve excellent schools, and our teachers deserve to be treated as professionals. We should demand accountability and better results while preserving the voice of Austin parents, teachers and voters. Parents, educators, students and community organizations are coming together through Keep Austin Schools Independent to oppose a state takeover. I encourage you to learn more about this organization and its advocacy efforts.
The answer to Austin’s school challenges is not to take Austin’s schools away from Austin. It is to give our educators and communities the resources, support, and local control they need to help every child succeed.
David Weinberg has spent his career protecting the environment, defending voting rights, and standing up for working families, from preserving funding for state parks and fighting voter restrictions to leading local grassroots campaigns. After 16 years in District 5 raising his family and serving the community, he is running for city council to bring that experience to local government.
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