AISD Play Fair with Closed School Communities

Next week, AISD is beginning meetings to talk about “repurposing”  of some the schools they have decided to close.  Dawson, Widen, Sunset Valley, Ridgetop and  Becker Elementaries were all given the designation of “surplus property” which means AISD does not want them for educational or district use.   The Bedichek Middle School building will be retained for district purposes but the “excess” land will be repurposed.

Meeting schedule:   All meetings are from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Why should the community care about the “repurposing” of schools within their communities?    Schools for children are usually located within the interiors of neighborhood communities.  These locations have historically supported community engagement, accessibility for families, and cultural connections.

A look at the ongoing “saga” of the original Rosedale Elementary School on 49^th Street may provide lessons for residents of neighborhoods with proposed closures.    For years AISD proposed repurposing the school for affordable housing for teachers.  Then abruptly, In October of 2025 it was announced that the land would be sold to a luxury apartment developer following AISD obtaining a zoning change for the property from single family (SF-3) to the highest density multi-family district (MF-6); the new development would include no affordable housing.    This represents a complete 180-degree change from what the community had been told.  AISD knew that the deed restrictions  limited uses on the property to “public school purposes” or “a residence”, but  AISD made the bold step of preemptively suing neighborhood homeowners seeking a court determination that the deed restriction language allows multiple units on a lot.

While some member of the city council including Mike Siegel and Marc Duchen urged delay, the developers and AISD are moving forward.  The Rosedale community is fighting back with a response to the AISD lawsuit and an informational  website to make other community members aware of what comes after AISD chooses to close schools.   See a KVUE news story here.

At 3100 E 4^th street, AISD has entered into an agreement to sell Brook Elementary to Trammel Crow which would displace at least 4 non-profits working in the building.   Trammel Crow owns the 700 River property close to the elementary where rents for a two-bedroom start at $5,500.

AISD had  committed itself to pay almost $100 million in bond money on schools they plan to close.    They have already spent approximately $24 million of those dollars and are seeking to exit contracts representing the balance.

“Parent and community concerns go beyond the waste of those sunken costs. They say that the closures raise broader questions about stewardship of public assets, especially in neighborhoods where school campuses anchor libraries, gardens, after-school programs, and informal community networks that could be lost when the campuses go dark. And they don’t trust the district with these concerns.”   Austin Free Press

Public schools – particularly elementary schools, but also middle schools – are by design woven into the neighborhood. Their core mission is to educate the community’s children, but they also serve other functions. Public schools support the community, but also depend on public support to exist.  When the public education mission ends, the community deserves a voice in what comes next and whether that property will continue to serve and co-exist with its neighbors. These meetings are an important opportunity to be heard.