Austin schools can't fix Dobie Middle by adding to overcrowded Lamar Middle
On April 17, parents at Lamar Middle School received an email from the district announcing a proposal to close Dobie Middle School (544 students) and send many Dobie students to Lamar, already at 110% capacity with 1,100 students. The Austin school district must take action, as Dobie failed to meet state academic standards for multiple years.
Between the Easter weekend and the quickly scheduled meeting this past Monday, parents had little time to think, let alone organize. It's no surprise that accusations flew and tempers flared at that meeting. Personally, I disliked much of the tone and tenor on display. No one likes a NIMBY. The district is navigating a difficult situation. State standards are being enforced in ways that feel more predatory than liberating.
But at the heart this is the unavoidable reality that Lamar already has too many students. The district's solution? Portable buildings built between now and August.
A few days earlier at a community meeting at Dobie, parents, teachers and students expressed dismay at the district's plans to close their school — plans that would mean their students would spend up to two hours a day on school buses. (Square that with improving student outcomes.)
The state has since given the Austin Independent School District until June 30 to decide Dobie's fate. We should use this time to rethink the current plan.
According to state law, an entire school district can be taken over by the Texas Education Agency if a school within that district receives five consecutive 'F' ratings. Dobie just got its fourth F. Therefore, Austin ISD reasons, a merger is necessary to stave off a state takeover. But this is a misguided way to frame the debate.
The district's reasoning presents the plan not as a public policy but as a political strategy — designed to prevent a state takeover. Whatever one thinks of TEA, state laws exist to keep districts accountable for failing schools. A policy explicitly designed to dodge that accountability doesn't seem to operate within the spirit of the law.
Austin ISD has also been noncommittal on the details. At Monday's meeting, for example, families' concerns about teacher-student ratios, access to 504 services for students with disabilities, and the continuation of the fine arts academy were met only with vague answers.
The reality is, there is no way to do what is being proposed without taking something from Lamar students. This pits two groups of parents against each other while ignoring the wishes of both.
Austin ISD has other options. State law allows the district to hand over Dobie to a charter school operator. Charter schools are not for everyone, but this option could be accompanied by a transfer policy that allows Dobie families to relocate to other schools that have capacity.
Ultimately, the better option would be to double down on Dobie — keep it open, invest new resources and work to improve outcomes. This might risk a TEA takeover in the future, but Dobie isn't the only Austin school to have received multiple F-ratings. TEA might come knocking anyway. We need to create a blueprint for turning F-rated schools around in 1-2 years.
By pursuing the current plan, Austin ISD risks a scenario that breaks Lamar without fixing Dobie. They are also putting undue pressure on students, parents and teachers at so-called 'failing' schools, who are working tremendously hard in almost impossible circumstances. They are not to blame for the prospect of a state takeover. They are the ones being failed.
Austin school leaders are in a bind and do not receive the support they deserve from the state. But the district has better options. Instead of spending millions of dollars on hastily erected portables at Lamar, Austin ISD should invest the money in the Dobie community.
Ben Wright is a freelance communication strategist and the parent of a Lamar Middle School student.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin ISD can't fix Dobie Middle School by breaking Lamar | Opinion
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