AUSTIN, Texas – After hours of testimony and protests, the Austin ISD School Board voted in favor of closing four elementary schools Monday evening.
- Vote passed 6 to 3
- Closures will take place next school year
- 4 elementary schools set to close
The schools include, Pease, Metz, Sims, and Brooke Elementary schools.
Parents and students from Pease Elementary walked out of school Monday to protest the closures prior to the vote.
Their main concern was that three of the four schools are on the East side and they believe the closures will discriminate against many students.
The district says while change is hard, school closures are necessary.
“We really set out to reinvest our money. So, away from aging buildings, away from HVAC systems, we wanted to reinvest those monies into our students, into programming, and that’s really what got us here today,” said Senior AISD Communications Specialist Cristina Nguyen.
The closures will take place in the 2020-2021 school year.
New boundaries for the students at those schools was also approved.