Austin ISD postpones vote on TEA proposal to clear special education backlog

The Austin school board postponed a major vote on whether to accept or reject a Texas Education Agency proposal that would hold the district to strict special education improvement deadlines and stave off more stringent state oversight after yearslong backlogs in student evaluations for services.

The board had been scheduled to vote Thursday night on the agreement, but board President Arati Singh said the trustees wanted to continue deliberating on the state's proposal. The agreement is meant to avoid more direct control by the TEA over the district’s special education processes after the state found the district was chronically overdue on evaluating students for services.

Under the proposed agreement, the state would appoint a monitor, someone who would observe and report back to the TEA on the district’s progress, but wouldn’t direct department action or spending.

In March, a TEA investigator recommended that the state appoint a conservator — a person who directs district action in certain areas — to oversee the district's special education program until it came under compliance. Unlike the state's takeover of the Houston district, a conservator wouldn't replace the school board or superintendent.

As per the TEA's proposal, the district would have to complete all its backlogged evaluations by Jan. 31, put its staff through extensive special education training requirements through 2025, conduct a third-party audit and update its data monitoring systems.

More:TEA proposes aggressive timeline for AISD to get special education evaluations in order

Strict requirements

Once a parent requests an evaluation for special education services for their child, federal and state laws mandate school districts to complete the process within a specified timeline.

Under the TEA's proposal, the school board would also have to change the way it does business during meetings. The board would have to adopt a Lone Star Governance model, a TEA-created system for school boards to follow that’s meant to focus on student outcomes.

In addition to several policy changes, the board would be required to dedicate half of its board meeting time to student outcomes, such as test results, instead of other topics like security or finances.

Making headway

The Austin district has made progress on clearing its backlog of overdue evaluations.

Since January, the district’s outstanding evaluations have dropped from 1,780 to 488 as of last month, according to district data.

Many parents, however, have remained frustrated with the district’s performance and the services their children receive.

During Thursday’s board meeting, Singh said the board would likely call a special meeting Tuesday to vote on the TEA's proposal. The board has until Sept. 29 to make its decision.