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Classes start tomorrow in the Austin Independent School District, fresh off news last week that two of its middle schools registered a fifth failing state accountability rating. That has opened the door to possible state intervention, but some folks are asking that the positive gains Austin schools have made also be considered in the whatever future decision is made for the district.
Students and families and staff are feeling all of the emotions of tomorrow’s first day of school. We’ll bring you their voices.
What’s the story behind the huge Adirondack chair outside an Austin church? ATXplained finds out.
Plus: A few novels set in Austin to add to your TBR list.
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The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.
Jerry Quijano [00:00:08] The Austin Independent School District kicks off tomorrow another year of classes, fresh off the news that two of its middle schools registered a fifth failing state accountability rating. That’s opened the door to possible state intervention in Austin’s school district, but some folks are asking that the positive gains AISD schools have made also be considered in whatever future decision is made for the district. Students, families, and staff are feeling all of the emotions ahead of tomorrow’s first day of school. We’re going to bring you their voices. That’s coming up on today’s show.
Laurie Gallardo [00:00:38] The Austin Signal is a production of KUT News, hosted by Jerry Quijano.
Jerry Quijano [00:00:44] Plus, conservation groups will be in Austin this week, urging the state’s Parks and Wildlife Department to oppose border security projects in the Big Bend region. We’ve got that story and plenty more. It’s all up next right here on Austin Signal. Howdy out there. You are tuned in to Austin Signal. I’m your host Jerry Kehannel. It is Monday, August 17th, already halfway through the month, believe it or not. Thank you for spending a little time with us today. Austin ISD students are heading back to class this week, but looming over the first week of school is the possibility of state intervention by the Texas Education Agency. That’s after Burnett and Webb Middle Schools received failing grades from the state’s accountability system for the fifth consecutive year. KUT’s Greta Diaz-Gonzalez-Vasquez reports on the reaction of some parents and community members to the possibility a takeover.
Sharon Vane [00:01:47] Alright, we are here to take a stand for preserving local control of our Austin public schools.
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:01:56] Even before accountability ratings were made public this week, Austin parents and community members announced they were forming a coalition to keep AISD schools under local control. Here’s Austin parent and education advocate Sharon Vane.
Sharon Vane [00:02:11] We believe our kids are more than a test. Make no mistake, we know our district has real work to do. We’re clear eyed about the urgent need for improvement and equally sure a state takeover isn’t the solution.
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:02:27] Under Texas Education Law, Education Commissioner Mike Morath now can appoint a new superintendent and a board of managers to replace the local elected board of trustees. That appointed board can make decisions to change curricula, close schools, and even sell properties. They don’t have to answer to community feedback. Vane says AISD parents have seen what has happened in other districts where the state has taken over.
Sharon Vane [00:02:51] There’s a disturbing trend of losing thousands of experienced and certified teachers and thousands of students.
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:02:59] Houston ASD was taken over in 2023. Since then, advocates say the district has taken a, quote, militaristic approach to education. They say students are constantly being tested and opportunities to ask questions are limited. Vane says teachers have to follow strict timelines and curricula.
Sharon Vane [00:03:18] That’s not going to improve our schools.
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:03:20] Another reason some parents are frustrated with the idea of a takeover is that, overall, Austin ISD improved this year. The district got its first B rating in four years. The number of campuses receiving an A or a B increased from 47 to 62, and the number of Ds and Fs decreased. The fact that the district could still see a state intervention has parents like Nikki it’s conflicted about what’s next.
Nikki [00:03:45] It’s really frustrating that I’m a part of a community where there was this threat. And despite this like really draconian potential outcome looming, we still failed to serve students who needed support, we didn’t give it to them.
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:04:02] Schubitz has seen the impact of giving the right resources to failing campuses. Her son’s school, when Montessori, went from receiving multiple Fs in a row to getting a C, but it was one of the schools that closed this summer. Ken Seraphis is president of the Employee Union Education Austin. He says the district is not perfect, but is moving in the right direction.
Ken Seraphis [00:04:24] They’re going to take over a B rated school district. One or two schools, that’s ridiculous. There’s one or two that need support, a lot of extra support and help. They’re already getting help, they’re already moving in the right direction. Allow them to continue to move in that direction.
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:04:39] AISD officials say they’re still looking into the possibility of appealing the failing grades. Shubit says her family believes in public education, so regardless of a takeover, her son will continue attending their neighborhood school. And she knows other Austinites will do the same.
Nikki [00:04:56] I think people are going to show up, be loud, pull whatever resources they have around supporting our schools because people expect to be able to send their children to their neighborhood school in one of the wealthiest cities in our state.
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:05:12] What’s next is up to the Texas Education Agency. It could choose to close the failing schools and appoint a conservator to supervise the district. Or the announcement of a takeover of the whole district could come in a few months. I’m Greta Diaz-Gonzalez Vazquez in Austin.
Jerry Quijano [00:05:30] And here to tell us more about what may come next for the district is Greta Diaz-Gonzalez-Vasquez, our education reporter here at KUT News. Welcome back to the show, Greta.
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:05:38] Hi, Jerry.
Jerry Quijano [00:05:39] Okay, so officials held a press conference this morning ahead of the start of the new school year. Mayor Kirk Watson was also there in attendance. What did he have to say?
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:05:48] Yeah, so first he acknowledged the gains that AISD has made in the last couple of years. But you know, Jerry, despite the gains, two middle schools, Bernard and Webb, got a fifth consecutive failing rating. We have talked plenty about that here in the Austin Signal, and that triggers a potential state takeover of the whole district. So Watson was asked if conversations were being held with state leaders about that potential state takeover and if there was ways of avoiding it. The first answer was there haven’t been any conversations so far, but he mentioned knowing Governor Greg Abbott and Education Commissioner Mike Morath, and he said that he was sure they acknowledged the progress AISD has made. Let’s listen to him.
Gov Greg Abbott [00:06:31] These numbers are out, there’s an appeal process, and then there’s some time before ultimate decisions have to be made. But I’m sure there’s gonna be discussions about how successful things appear to be moving.
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:06:45] Yeah, so he’s hoping conversations will be held. And he also acknowledged work needed to be done for Burnett and Webb Middle Schools. And he said maybe those students could be moved to an A or B rated campus.
Jerry Quijano [00:06:56] Yeah, we have been talking a lot about the possibility of a fifth failing rating for some of these schools, and that was certainly the big news that came out last week. There was also some positive movement that you’ve alluded to in the district’s ratings. Can you talk a little bit more about that?
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:07:10] Yes, yes, AISD earned a B grade this year as a district. That is moving up from a C for the first time in four years, so that was a big gain. Also the number of schools receiving an A or a B increased 42%, so that is 47 schools in 2025 to 61 schools getting an A of B in 2026. And the number campuses with a D or an F decreased by 35%. But 11 schools did receive a D rating, and 20 schools did received an F rating. And also there’s two schools that are at risk of a fifth F rating next year.
Jerry Quijano [00:07:47] Okay, so what are AISD’s options moving forward? Can they appeal any of what’s happening to them right now?
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:07:55] Yes. So just to have the context that the state could choose to appoint a superintendent and a board of managers or decide to close the schools and appoint someone to monitor the district. But before then, AISD can still appeal the ratings. They have until September 11 to do that. Superintendent Matias Segura said last week that the district is looking into a potential appeal, but that he didn’t want to speculate on the future of the district and, you know, he didn’t quite say if there was going to be an appeal. If there is an appeal, a final decision would be made public by or before December 11.
Jerry Quijano [00:08:31] Okay, before we let you go, the first day of school for AISD is tomorrow. Obviously, some big changes are happening specifically with these ratings, but you have been reporting on the budget woes, the transportation changes that have been happening. Can you just tell us what is the mood from the parents and the teachers and the students that you’ve spoken with over the summer, really?
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:08:50] Yes, so I think there’s been a lot of changes in going back and forth with transportation. We have also talked plenty about it here. Some campuses, some students are going into new campuses like Parade students, they learned very late in the summer that they wouldn’t go back to their school but to new schools to Bailey and Mendez. So I think a lot people are excited about the first day of school but also some people are kind of left with questions about what to do, where to go and you know, just into new campuses and that’s always Nerve-wrecking.
Jerry Quijano [00:09:21] Yeah, I’m actually kind of shocked that tomorrow is the first day of school. It seems like the AISD news really hasn’t stopped all summer long, and you have been bringing us all that news. That is Greta Diaz-Gonzalez-Vasquez. She is KUT’s education reporter. Greta, we appreciate you.
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:09:36] Thank you, Jerry.
Jerry Quijano [00:09:45] The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission will hold its annual public hearing this week, and conservation groups are urging the Texas Parks& Wildlife Department to oppose border security projects in Big Bend Ranch State Park. Among the groups calling for a halt to construction in the Big Ben region is the local progressive group Forward Texas, who organized a protest in Austin Saturday morning. Dee Dee Church is one of the group’s leaders. She said they’re also calling on companies to oppose that construction.
Speaker 8 [00:10:13] So all of us who love Big Ben, who have grown up, who have gotten engaged in Big Ben. Who have spread ashes of loved ones in Big Bend. Who have seen the first time the Rio Grande in Big Bend. Who have canoed, who’ve had these amazing foundational experiences. We’re calling on all of you to ask these corporations to speak up because we know this administration only responds to money.
Jerry Quijano [00:10:36] The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting is set to begin at two o’clock on Wednesday afternoon at Texas Parks& Wildlife Department headquarters here in Austin. And we will be keeping an eye on what comes out of that meeting and we will bring you the latest updates right here on Austin Signal. We got a few more headlines for your Monday. We mentioned a few times already that tomorrow is the first day of classes for Austin ISD and many other districts are already back or will be heading back to school soon. That means you should be extra precautious near and in school zones, and here in town, you can expect a bit more traffic than you’ve grown accustomed to in the past couple months. Absolutely no relief in sight from this stretch of scorching weather that we have been enduring as of late. The National Weather Service is forecasting multiple days in Austin with a high temperature right near 100 degrees. That’s through Sunday at least, and the Climate Prediction Center expects that we’re gonna be seeing below average precipitation through the end of the month. And Austin FC dropped a game at home last night against intrastate rivals Dallas. The squad is gonna be back at it on Wednesday, going on the road to face Seattle. Well, we are coming up on a break here on Austin Signal, but we got plenty more for you coming up after this. This is Austin Signal, welcome back. There are landmarks around Austin that you are always on the lookout for. Some of them never change, some are changing all the time. So much so that you can’t wait to see what’s next. Think the funny messages on the El Arroyo sign on West Fifth, or perhaps what color the UT tower is on a given night. Well, there’s one of these landmarks in central Austin that has caught the eye of one austenite over the past few years, and he asked our ATXplain project about it. KUT’s Valeria Cruz-Boutron has that story.
Valeria Cruz-Boutron [00:12:33] If you’ve driven through the Crestview neighborhood, you’ve probably seen it. A giant Adirondack chair sits outside Violet Crown City Church. Sometimes it’s painted in rainbows, sometimes it’s calling for gun reform, and sometimes it’s making references to popular 2000 sitcoms. One Crest View resident could not stop wondering about it.
Colin Cooper [00:12:51] And I want to know who paints it, where do the ideas come from, and why is it a chair?
Valeria Cruz-Boutron [00:12:59] Colin Cooper has lived in the neighborhood for almost two decades. He drives past a chair every once in a while.
Colin Cooper [00:13:05] I guess yeah, I do think for some reason now I associate this Adirondack with Crestview in a way that I can’t really explain.
Valeria Cruz-Boutron [00:13:14] To answer his question, I went to visit the man behind the chair.
Colin Cooper [00:13:17] The thing is almost 100% paint at this point. I’m not sure how much wood exists under all of it.
Valeria Cruz-Boutron [00:13:24] Jay Cooper is the pastor at Violet Crown City Church. He is not related to the guy who asked the question, Colin Cooper. It all began about 10 years ago. Jay was going through a divorce, and one night he went on a walk and spotted a pile of discarded wood.
Jay Cooper [00:13:38] I’ve always been a bit of a dumpster diver. And so whenever I see especially like furniture that’s been put on the side of the road or old wood, I am on it. You know, if you’re in the carpentry world, it’s called upcycling. I guess in the Christian world, it’d be called resurrection.
Valeria Cruz-Boutron [00:13:56] Without much of a plan, Jay built a giant Adirondack chair. It sat outside his home in Clarksville, and later Brentwood, for a couple of years. Then he asked permission to move it to the church.
Jay Cooper [00:14:06] How the church said, yes, you can put that chair there is still a mystery to me. They’re like, sure, he’s excited, just let him do it.
Valeria Cruz-Boutron [00:14:14] Now, six years and 125 designs later, the chair has taken on a life of its own. Jay comes up with and paints every single design himself.
Jay Cooper 00:14:23] I used to only paint it about once a month in the beginning. However, as you’re probably aware, the world has gotten a little crazy and now ideas just come to me in my sleep.
Valeria Cruz-Boutron [00:14:36] When I went to the church to see Jay, the chair was painted to look like a pair of jean shorts sitting in a shower. If you’re a fan of the TV show Arrested Development, you might get it. I may be too young to understand. His first designs were lighthearted, mostly references and jokes, like the jean short in the shower. But over time, the chair has become more political, or as Jay likes to call it, more saucy. Jay’s done designs calling for gun reform, celebrating the LGBTQ community, supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, denouncing ICE, and more.
Jay Cooper [00:15:06] So whether they’re justice-related or supporting the sacred worth of all human beings in response to something the president says, which we believe is contrary to the way of Jesus, then I do put it up there.
Valeria Cruz-Boutron [00:15:21] Earlier this year, Jay painted the words, we want snow, not ice, referring to federal immigration enforcement.
Jay Cooper [00:15:27] I think we need to respond in ways that love and support our neighbor. And at that particular time, we believed that the tactics of ICE were so far out of line and dangerous that we needed to respond in some way.
Valeria Cruz-Boutron [00:15:46] Jay says most of the response to the political designs is positive, but not always.
Jay Cooper [00:15:51] But there have been a couple of times where people have vandalized the chair, not the end of the world. I wish they would have just had a conversation with me about it, but that’s not oftentimes how people operate.
Valeria Cruz-Boutron [00:16:01] The church has gotten phone calls and letters demanding apologies for some of the designs.
Jay Cooper [00:16:05] I’m not going to apologize for supporting women’s rights. And so we don’t put up messages just to be provocative, but more to encourage those who generally are not supported by this administration or by society.
Valeria Cruz-Boutron [00:16:20] Not everyone who connects with a chair is religious. Jay painted a design once that said, we love you and respect you, atheist.
Jay Cooper [00:16:27] And someone put a little sign on there just saying, thank you so much from a humanist in the neighborhood.
Valeria Cruz-Boutron [00:16:34] For Jay, that is what the chair and the church are supposed to do, make people feel welcome and spark conversations.
Jay Cooper [00:16:40] For me, it’s really important that our church be seen as like a house on the street. And so like everyone else, are we a good neighbor or are we not?
Valeria Cruz-Boutron [00:16:52] So, that answers most of Colin’s question, except for the part of why it is a chair, but even Jay doesn’t know the answer to that. It just happens to be what he made out of that pile of wood he found 10 years ago. And even though Colin doesn’t go to church or consider himself religious, he appreciates what the chair brings to the neighborhood.
Jay Cooper [00:17:11] There was a design, I think, supporting marriage equality, and I had my nephew in the car, and he asked about it, and it led to some interesting discussions. And I kind of appreciated it. I thought it was nice that we could have that discussion and have it prompted in a way that I could talk about issues that he may not hear about otherwise.
Valeria Cruz-Boutron [00:17:31] And now that he knows who’s behind the chair, he may start paying a little more attention. I’m Valeria Cruz-Botron in Austin.
Jerry Quijano [00:17:41] That story is from KUT’s AT Explained project. You can ask your own question about an Austin landmark or basically anything else that you’re curious about. You can do that at atexplained.org. Well, for most of the summer, you’ve heard about KUT’s Summer Reading Bingo Challenge, and we are going to have some more staff picks coming your way later this week. But for now, we have a few book recommendations that come with a special local twist. These are all novels set right here in Austin. KUT Art Beat intern Caroline McConnico did all the reading, and now she’s here to tell us all about them. Caroline, thanks for joining us.
Caroline McConnico [00:18:23] Hi Jerry.
Jerry Quijano [00:18:24] So tell us about this specific reading challenge that you worked through recently.
Caroline McConnico [00:18:29] Yeah, so I’m an out-of-state student here at UT. I’m from North Carolina and I’ve always loved reading and I really wanted to learn more about the city that I live in. So I thought this would be a great way to combine both of those things.
Jerry Quijano [00:18:42] It reminded me that a few years ago, somebody asked a question about like, what are the books you need to know about Austin? And there was this huge list of books that we eventually explored a little bit of that list here at KUT. How did you come down to these three books specifically?
Caroline McConnico [00:18:55] Yeah, so I wanted to choose fiction books that were released in the past couple of years and all three of these plots sounded great to me.
Jerry Quijano [00:19:04] Okay, so let’s go through the three books here. What’s the first one that you’re gonna tell us about?
Caroline McConnico [00:19:08] Yeah. So Bitter Texas Honey is by Ashley Whitaker. It follows this young woman, Joan West, who comes from this very conservative background, conservative family, and she moves to Austin and works in the Capitol. It’s set in 2011, so there’s a little bit of a Ted Cruz and his first campaign going on. It is very interesting to see her fish out of water story in Austin.
Jerry Quijano [00:19:33] Yeah, and why do you think other people might find value in it?
Caroline McConnico [00:19:37] Yeah, I mean, for me personally, it was very interesting to me because it definitely changed some of my perspective on what it would be like to be a Texas native politically, especially living in Austin that has such a different vibe than the rest of the state.
Jerry Quijano [00:19:51] Well, speaking of vibe, the second book on your list is called Killer Vibes, and I heard about this book through a recent KUT newsletter. I really dug the name of the author, Jack Friday. You got to speak with Jack Friday, what was that like?
Caroline McConnico [00:20:04] It was so cool, I got to meet with him to talk about this new series, Killer Vibes, it’s like a queer mystery, so it follows Peter Key, who’s this unlikely detective who inherits his uncle who’s passed away, his mansion in Hyde Park. So it kind of focuses on that, but there’s crazy plot twists and it’s just a whole lot of fun.
Jerry Quijano [00:20:24] Okay, I need an uncle like that for sure. You mentioned that it’s a series. Does he have the others? Is he working on those already?
Caroline McConnico [00:20:31] Yeah, so he actually, Jack Friday told me that he actually has the next two books ready for next summer, so there’s that to look forward to.
Jerry Quijano [00:20:38] Okay, you can build out your next series. Okay, so tell us about the final book that you read for this list.
Caroline McConnico [00:20:43] Yeah. So this one’s called Enormous Wings. It’s by Laurie Frankel. And this book, when I saw it, I knew I wanted to read it. Just the back of the book, the little taste that I got sounded super interesting. It is about a 77-year-old woman who lives in an Austin elderly home and she gets pregnant.
Jerry Quijano [00:21:02] Okay, that is pretty crazy for sure. Was the novel as crazy as you anticipated it was going to be?
Caroline McConnico [00:21:08] It was crazy in both, I thought that it was going to be a comedic, which it definitely was, but it also was kind of tear-jerking in a sense of it goes into kind of Texas reproductive laws and the fight that she has with her body and with the state.
Jerry Quijano [00:21:25] So after you’ve read these three fiction books that are set here in Austin, how has that changed your real-world view of the city?
Caroline McConnico [00:21:31] Yeah, it’s definitely broadened my understanding of the city in very different pockets. All three of these books were very different, but I feel like I’ve got kind of this understanding of the political nature of Texas with Bitter Texas Honey, the more fun, eccentric side of Austin with Killer Vibes, and then finishing with Enormous Wings, just kind of, this meaningful story about legislation in the state.
Jerry Quijano [00:21:54] So we have been working all summer on this field guide to Austin summer reading bingo challenge. It sounds like you knocked out at least three spots there. Are there other books on your reading list that you didn’t get to in this particular list?
Caroline McConnico [00:22:06] Yes, for sure. There’s some, The Slip, which I know we’ve talked about before by Lucas Schaeffer. There’s a billion books set in Austin, so I’m excited to read what’s next.
Jerry Quijano [00:22:15] Fantastic. Okay, we have been speaking with Caroline McConnico. She is the Artbeat intern for KUT News. We’re going to have a link to her story on these three Austin-based novels. You can find that in today’s podcast, Show Notes, and at kut.org slash Artbeat. Caroline, thank you.
Caroline McConnico [00:22:30] Thanks for having me.
Jerry Quijano [00:22:32] All right, whether you got one bingo or none on that Field Guide to Austin Summer Reading Bingo Challenge, you are welcome to join us to celebrate whatever summer reading you got done. We’re meeting at Central Machine Works on August 27th from 630 to 830. That’s next Thursday. Bring your completed bingo card to the event. Come check in at the KUT table. Pick up some prizes. We’re gonna have a few Field Guide stickers and bookmarks, so get there early. That is it for us today on Austin Signal. There’s going to be more about the stories we shared with you today in the podcast show notes. And you can always find more from us at kut.org slash signal. Jake Perlman is our technical director. Alexandra Hart is our producer. Kristin Cabrera is our managing producer. And I’m your host, Jerry Quijano. We’re going to back at the same time tomorrow. We’ll talk to you then.
This transcript was transcribed by AI, and lightly edited by a human. Accuracy may vary. This text may be revised in the future.
