Webb and Burnet Middle School parents dispute state closure petition process

Austin Independent School District middle schools Burnet and Webb have received five consecutive F ratings from the Texas Education Agency, creating a scenario where the state could replace the school board or force a closure. A petition circulating among families offers a third path: if more than 50% of parents at each campus sign, the state education commissioner must accept it and require the district to submit an improvement plan. The Webb Middle School PTA held a press conference on Sunday to argue that many families did not understand the specific outcome they were endorsing.

Vanessa Gamez, president of the Webb Middle School PTA, said the community is confused and that trust in the district has eroded. She described interactions where volunteers approached parents in their cars, asking them to sign a document. Gamez said some parents asked what the petition meant, and volunteers told them it was to save Webb. However, Gamez noted that the actual letter states the petition is to close the school.

Concerns also arose regarding language access. Parents questioned why English-only copies were sent to a school with a large Hispanic population. Gamez stated that some parents are hesitant to ask questions or voice concerns due to the current immigration climate. She recounted an instance where a volunteer framed the choice as keeping the school in Austin versus the state. When a parent said they wanted the school to stay with the city, the volunteer told them to sign the petition. The parent complied, believing the signature aligned with keeping the local campus.

Ken Zarifis, a parent at Burnet Middle School, defended the petition process as a way for families to have a voice. Zarifis argued that parents should stand together to defend their schools rather than allowing a state takeover. He emphasized that the state’s role should be to help the schools, not to take them over entirely.

In response to the criticism, the Austin Council of PTAs issued a statement saying its board voted to support families with factual information. The group stated it did not take a position on whether families should sign the petition. Keep Austin Schools Independent, another group named in the dispute, clarified that it was invited to help distribute information at the request of the Austin Council of PTAs. The organization said it did not run the volunteer deployment and instructed its volunteers that the decision to sign belonged to the families.

Webb Middle School parents are now creating a second petition to challenge the initial one. Valarie Gonzales, a parent at Webb, said the group is unsure how the process will work or how many signatures will be redacted. Gonzales noted that while the number of valid signatures will likely decrease, the review process is still ongoing.