Austin Independent School District’s plan to team up with the Texas Council for International Studies (TCIS) in hopes of sidestepping state intervention at three under‑performing middle schools was turned down by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The agency’s refusal puts Dobie, Webb and Burnet middle schools at risk of losing local control if their upcoming accountability scores do not improve.

TEA Cites TCIS’s Poor Turnaround History for Rejecting the Partnership

The TEA’s letter to Superintendent Matias Segura highlighted that TCIS meets only two of the three criteria required under Senate Bill 1882, specifically lacking a proven record of lifting failing campuses to academic success. According to the report, TCIS has overseen 16 SB‑1882 partnerships since 2019, but several have resulted in “worse academic outcomes.” This specific shortfall was the decisive factor in the agency’s denial.

Dobie, Webb and Burnet Middle Schools Face State Intervention Threshold

Under Texas law, any campus that receives five consecutive failing ratings can be closed or have its elected board replaced by an appointed board of managers. The three middle schools in question have already endured years of low accountability scores, and the TEA’s decision means they must rely on the upcoming state standardized testing results to avoid that fate.

Austin ISD’s Limited Options After Trustees Approved TCIS as Sole Bidder

School board trustees had previously approved the partnership with TCIS, noting that it was the only organization to submit a bid. District officials expressed confidence that TCIS could provide operational support, but the TEA’s rejection now forces Austin ISD to explore alternative strategies, such as direct disrict intervention or seeking another qualified partner.

Past SB‑1882 Partnerships Offer a Mixed Blueprint

Since the legislation’s inception, SB‑1882 has been used in roughly a dozen districts across Texas. While some districts have reported modest gains, others have seen no improvement or even declines, mirroring the TEA’s concerns about TCIS’s track record. The mixed outcomes underscore why the agency emphasizes proven performance when evaluating partnership proposals.

Unanswered Questions: Will Austin ISD Find a New Partner Before Test Results Arrive?

The district now faces two immediate uncertainties : whether it can identify another nonprofit or charter operator that satisfies all SB‑1882 criteria, and whether the schools can boost their accountability scores in time for the state’s end‑of‑year assessment. as the source notes,no alternative bid has been submittted yet, leaving the schools in a precarious position.