The Austin Independent School
District has passed a plan that's
going to close 10 of its campuses
across the city.
The plan was altered multiple times
and originally called for 13
school closures, as the local school
district works to reduce a
multi-million dollar budget deficit
and empty seats at many of
its campus.
We're going to talk more about the
plan, the vote, and what happens
next for Austin ISD.
Plus, state officials released a
stash of communications between
Governor Greg Abbott and Elon Musk.
But the nearly 1,400 files were
heavily redacted.
We're gonna hear about how public
information is becoming a little
less public.
The Austin Signal is a production
of KUT News, hosted by
Jerry Quijano.
And what's it like to spend 24
hours in Austin's airport?
We'll have a taste of that coming up
next right here on Austin
Signal.
Howdy out there, this is Austin
Signal. I'm your host, Jerry
Kehannel. It is Monday, November
24th.
Thank you for spending part of your
day here with us.
A very happy Thanksgiving week to
everyone out there if you're
planning to be away from home
sometime this week.
We certainly hope your travel plans
go smoothly and of course that
you enjoy the holiday season.
Let's get into today's
show.
After weeks of public comments and
community rallies, as well as
multiple versions of a strategy put
forward, the Austin Independent
School District has officially
okayed the consolidation plan for
the 2026-2027
school year.
It was a contentious rollout for the
plan that will not close as
many schools as originally proposed,
but still slates 10 campuses
for permanent closure.
For more about the plan and the
vote, we are joined by KUT's Travis
County reporter, Katy McAfee.
Howdy, Katy.
Hey, Jerry.
Thank you for being with us here on
Austin Signal.
So the Austin ISD School Board voted
last week in a meeting on Thursday.
You were at that meeting.
What was it like?
Yeah, the meeting was intense.
It actually ended Friday morning
around 2 a.m.
Oh wow. There were, yeah.
What time did it start?
Start it at six.
Okay, oh my goodness.
It went straight through from 6 to
2.
Straight through from 6 to like 2 30
almost
And that was because I'm guessing
tons of people wanted to get one
last opinion in before the vote.
That's right, there were about 150
parents and community members who
signed up for public comment and it
lasted almost three hours.
Well, you can read some
of the reporting that Katy covered
in that meeting over at KUT.org,
but we're going to talk a little bit
about it right here.
One thing that we've been hearing a
lot throughout this process, Katy,
has been the plan.
The plan is changing.
The plan this, the plan is that.
But the plan to
address a budget deficit that
Austin ISD has been working against
for a while now.
How is, just remind us,
what is that budget deficit?
And how is the district saying that
the plan that they voted on last
week is going to help address that
deficit?
Yeah, so the budget deficit they're
dealing with right now is about
$19.7 million.
And this plan they estimate will
generate about $21.5
million.
And the main way they're going to
get that money is through reducing
staff positions.
So at these closing schools, what
they're doing is they're reaching
out to teachers who are already in
the district and saying, hey,
where would you like to work next
year? And they're gonna try to
reassign those teachers to schools
that are still open.
But they will still be able to
reduce staff positions because the
district hires thousands of
new teachers every year.
And they're gonna put a hiring
freeze for external candidates in
January while they try to
reassign those teachers that are
already there.
And then they're going to make money
by not having to pay utilities
at those schools, not having offer
food service, not having offered
transportation services to those
schools. Things like that.
And that hiring of 1,000 workers is
that just like a normal thing as
part of a turnover at schools?
That's what the superintendent says,
yeah.
Okay, let's talk a little
bit about that meeting.
You were there Thursday, lots of
community input, lots of phone calls
as well.
What was the general consensus
of the comments that you were
hearing ahead of the vote?
Yeah, great question.
So, you know, throughout these
nearly three hours of public
comment, almost every single person
who was there was asking the board
to reject this plan.
Okay. There were a lot of
parents, as there has been for a lot
of these community meetings from
Becker Elementary and from Ridgetop
Elementary, these are schools
that offer dual language programs,
which are being closed and
moved to schools near where more
emergent bilingual students live.
A lot of parent expressed that they
are going to the- they're
sending their kids to AISD so they
can be part of this dual language
program.
And if they go through with this
plan, they're going to consider
sending their kid to a different
school outside the district or going
to private school.
And then there were also some
teachers and a one third
grader from Ridgetop Elementary who
was at the meeting as well.
This third graded got a standing
ovation.
And he kind of bravely stood up on
a chair and spoke into the mic and
said I'm learning a lot about my
feelings at school and how to listen
to my feelings and this plan
makes me feel sad.
I'm going to have to make new
friends and I've built relationships
with my teachers.
I really like the lunch lady at my
school and I think you should listen
to your feelings too and not pass
this plan.
And then finally, a lot of teachers
kind of shared similar sentiments.
They've built really close
relationships with their students at
school and they're just sad to
see that go away.
And one teacher said,
If you are going to go through with
this plan, at least follow up with
some accountability.
We as teachers and as the community
members in the district want to see
how this plan is going to make
money. And we wanna see you rebuild
trust with the community because
they feel like that's been lost.
Yeah, that certainly has been echoed
by lots of folks that they feel like
they've lost trust with the district
through the rollout of the plan.
But the plan now has been voted on.
So how is AISD going to go
about implementing it?
You mentioned I think about, you
know, teachers maybe having a survey
as to like which schools might work
best for them, as well as the kids
from these schools that closing.
Yeah, great question.
So yes, all teachers are
getting or have already gotten a
survey asking where they would like
to work next year.
The district is going to spend
pretty much the remainder of the
school year reassigning those
teachers and staff to new schools.
And then as far as
families go and to where students
are going to be going next
school year at these closing
schools, Austin ICD has
a plan for basically every
school. So for example,
Students at Dawson Elementary,
that's in my neighborhood, those
students are gonna be reassigned to
Galindo. But then some students
have more options and it might be a
little confusing for them.
Students at Becker Elementary, for
example, can re-enroll in
the dual language program somewhere
else that might not be near where
they live or they can go to Galinda
or they go to Zilker.
So parents are probably spending
the next few months too trying to
figure out what's best for them
and it's been a long rollout
process. We only have about 25
seconds left.
Is there a chance that more schools
might be closed after this plan now
has been voted on?
Yeah, that's right.
The superintendent, Matias Segura,
has been really clear that this
process isn't over.
Some schools that could be voted on
next year, those three that were
taken off the list, that's
Maplewood, Breaker Woods, and Palm.
And he said a plan could come again
before voters next year.
But a lot of those details are still
up in the air.
Alrighty, well you can read about
some of those details over at
KUT.org.
That is Katy McAfee.
She is KUT's Travis County reporter.
Katy, thank you for your
information.
Thank you so much, Jerry.
Elon Musk and Texas Governor Greg
Abbott have built a close working
relationship over the years,
but details about their partnership,
found in more than 1,000 pages
of emails, are hidden to
the public.
The Texas newsroom's investigative
reporter Lauren McGaughy should
know. She tried to get copies
of the communications between Musk
and Abbott's office.
Simple ask touched off
a month's long quest.
When Governor Abbott spoke at an
energy summit in Austin last month,
he gave the businessman there his
pitch for Texas.
But by leading America in
economic development, our motto is
that Texas moves at
the speed of business.
There was one event that
captured that more than anything
else.
That pivotal moment, Elon
Musk's decision to build a giant
Tesla factory near the state
capital.
It was 2020 and Musk had hit
regulatory hurdles in blue states
that he didn't much care for.
The governor told Musk he wouldn't
need to worry about that in Texas.
He was actually able to get
it completed and have vehicles
rolling off of it in less than
18 months.
Since the Tesla Gigafactory was
built, Musk's footprint has spread
across the state, all while he's
maintained a close partnership with
Governor Abbott.
The Texas newsroom wanted more
insight into this relationship.
So back in April, we filed a records
request asking the governor's office
for its emails with Elon Musk and
people from his companies, including
SpaceX and Tesla.
First, Abbott's office wanted to
charge to review the records.
The Texas Newsroom cut a check for
$244.
But after it cleared, Abbott's
office fought against releasing any
emails at all, saying they included
private exchanges with lawyers and
details about policymaking
decisions.
In a letter, which a colleague of
mine will read from, the governor's
lawyer asked the state attorney
general to step in and let them keep
Musk's emails secret.
The release of these deliberations
would have a chilling effect on the
frank and open discussion necessary
for the decision-making process.
An attorney with SpaceX also argued
against making the emails public.
He said doing that would reveal
trade secrets.
All of this was happening while
Texas lawmakers were meeting in
Austin.
At the same time the Texas newsroom
was fighting for these emails,
Musk's lobbyists were in the
capital, drumming up support for
a dozen new state laws to benefit
his companies.
And Musk had a good year.
Most of the bills he wanted passed,
including a major one giving SpaceX
greater control over the beach near
its launch site in South Texas.
Starbase, the newest Texas city
along the coast, and the SpaceX team
got some wins in this last
session of the Texas legislature.
But that insight we were hoping to
gain about Musk's influence in the
Capitol?
Ultimately, we weren't able to find
it in the public records.
That's because when the Attorney
General made his decision about
Abbott and Musk's emails, he let
the governor withhold many of these
communications. And the records
Abbott's office was ordered to
release to us were mostly redacted.
As in completely blacked out so that
not one word was readable.
According to a note on the records,
many were kept secret because they
included information related to
competitive advantage.
Experts say this case is
representative of how hard it's
become to get public records in
Texas.
Corporations can object to the
release of proprietary information.
And Reid Pillifant says governments
are siding with them more and more.
The fact that a governmental body
can withhold more than
a thousand pages or redact more than
1,000 pages of
documents that are directly related
to a major business's activities
in Texas is certainly problematic.
Pillifant is an Austin-based
attorney specializing in public
records and media law.
He says there is a clear public
interest in whether government
documents like this are released.
Every Texas citizen should care
about access to these
kinds of records because they
shed light on how our public
officials are making big decisions
that affect the land where
people live and how
their taxpayer dollars are
being spent.
Pilafont has represented some of the
Texas newsroom's partners in
lawsuits seeking the release of
public information.
We reached out to Musk, his lawyers,
and his various companies for
comment. They didn't respond.
In an emailed statement, Abbott
spokesman said the governor
rigorously complies with state
open records laws and make sure
to release anything that's not
confidential.
The Texas news room has published
more information about the saga in
our latest collaboration with
ProPublica and the Texas Tribune.
You can find it online now.
I'm Lauren McGaughy in Austin,
Texas.
Thank you for tuning in.
This is Austin Signal here on
listener powered public radio
KUT news 90.5.
We are on the KUT app and online
at KUT.org.
Well, as I said at the top, it's a
busy travel season for lots
of Texans.
We're going to head on out to the
airport and spend a little time
there. Stay with us.
We'll be back in a moment.
This is Austin Signal, welcome back,
thank you for being here with us.
This week is one of the busiest
weeks at the Austin Airport, no
doubt about it, but have you ever
stopped and just looked around and
noticed all the stories and emotions
happening at an airport?
It's a lot to take in if you take a
moment.
Well, KUT's project manager,
Matt Largie, and a group of
reporters from the KUT newsroom
decided to take a snapshot
of sorts for the podcast
24 Hours in Austin.
And here we join them on a
day in May last year.
Right around lunchtime.
1113, a woman named Cynthia and
her husband Alejandro are
waiting at the bottom of the
escalators.
They're looking up at the line of
people coming down to baggage claim.
They're waiting for her cousin,
Olivia. She's on leave from the
military, coming home from Korea.
She left right after Christmas,
so a few months.
She's been gone.
Are you looking forward to seeing
her?
Yes, I want to cry right now,
so I'm excited to see her.
No, it's
fine.
It looks like he wants to cry now
after this
we're gonna go surprise her mom at
work like my older cousins
don't know that she's here yet so
I'm picking her up to surprise
everybody
Her mom doesn't know either?
We told her that she was in
like some secret training that she
had to do.
So nobody knows that she's here
yet, except for me and my husband.
Thank you.
How do you think they're going to
react?
Just as bad as I am right now,
but my older cousin Lydia
her boss is in on it So
they're actually having like a
potluck and stuff like that for her
So it's gonna be
really exciting.
I think her dad's gonna Be the worst
though like way worse than I am.
Right now. He'll break down and cry
like a huge baby
Cynthia's husband, Alejandro, was in
the Marines.
He's been out for eight years, but
he still struggles with it.
These events, you know, with her
coming home, still brings up a lot
of emotions for me.
My brother, who's four years
older than me, passed away in Iraq
in 2006.
And so, like I said, these
emotions, that's kind of a mixture
for me, because of everything, but
at the same time, I'm not
going to put a damper on her coming
home, because, of course, it's her
moment.
So try to be as
uplifting and happy as
possible.
That's really complicated though.
Yes it is.
I've been watching this staircase
and off and on to this one.
Alejandro wanders off closer to the
escalator to get a better look.
He seems tense.
Do you think this is hard for your
husband?
A little bit, yeah, but
knowing that it's something good,
it kind of outweighs the bad.
I kind of have to talk to him about
certain things just to make sure it
doesn't mess with his PTSD.
So last night I was like, are you
sure you're okay?
You don't have to come with me?
So he's like, no, no.
I want to be there for you and for
her.
And I think he's okay for
right now because he knows it's
something good. It's not anything
bad.
But then Alejandro calls to Cynthia.
What
Olivia is coming down the escalator.
Every time we go in, it's like...
Cynthia drops her bag and runs over
to her cousin.
She's in tears.
Alejandro waits his turn to greet
Olivia.
So this is my cousin Olivia.
Yes.
I'm ready to get home.
I know you've had a long trip.
I want some Mexican food, don't
you?
What did you mention there?
Yeah, yeah, like she really wants
some Mexican food.
Yes. Did you tell him I was been in
Korea? Yeah
I will let you guys get on with your
reunion, I'll get out of your way,
but thank you, thank you for your
service.
All the way up.
Around 12.15, I'm outside watching
the jumble of cars pull up to the
curb to drop people off.
Security people with whistles are
doing their best to manage the
chaos.
It's funny because the grackles seem
like they're responding to the
whistles singing along with them.
Pull up all the way,
pull up and around.
Fascinated by these guys directing
traffic.
People are just so bad
at pulling up to the curb
and not blocking other people at the
airport.
Just like, needs constant tending.
12:25, waiting for grandma to come
in.
Who's this baby?
This is Stella.
Hi Stella.
She's a girl.
Is that your little sister?
Mm-hmm.
Do you want to talk?
What do you got there?
Is that Barbie?
Yeah.
You're waiting for Grandma?
Mm-hm.
Yeah? What are you going to do when
she gets here?
I don't know. She got a surprise for
me.
She has a surprise?
What do you hope it is?
I don't know.
We don't know.
Is it another Barbie doll?
I like your boots, though.
Thank you.
Your whole outfit is very nice.
Thank you.
Do you like dinosaurs?
Uh, no.
They're very scary.
They don't look very scary
on your dress!
Yeah, but these ones are pretty,
but real ones look scary.
What's your favorite animal?
Um, I don't know.
You don't know?
Please pay attention to
the area in front of the terminal
building.
At 2.38 p.m., producer Greta
Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez meets
a guy coming back to Austin from
visiting family in Brazil.
It's complicated.
For me, I don't feel like here is
home and I don´t feel there is home
as well.
So when I'm here, sometimes I'm
missing there. When I'm there, I'm
missin' here.
And I think the most complicated for
me was I got divorced last year.
So now I don't have family.
When I moved here, I moved with
the idea to have a family,
have kids.
And at the end I didn't, and I got
divorce.
And what do your parents say?
What did they say when they knew
that you were moving to the US?
My mother still thinks I will move
back.
Does she ask, like, well, when are
you coming back or?
Not anymore in the beginning she
was she was okay well you
move it only because you're ex-wife
now you're your god
You moved here because of her?
That's what my mother thinks
about me.
Oh, wow.
325 p.m.
The information desk.
I'm sorry, can I help you?
I'm just trying to figure out which
claim my bag is
at.
Southwest, they use baggage
claim four, and when it
gets crowded, they used five.
Okay, thank you.
You're welcome,
I'm a volunteer.
Oh, okay.
I'm what they call an ambassador,
and most of us are seniors.
Why volunteer at the airport?
Oh, because it's lots of fun.
I get to talk to people from all
over the world sometimes.
You know, I enjoy it.
It gives me people to talk.
I'm a widow. I live alone.
Sir, did you need some help?
Did you need help?
Yes. May I help you?
Where can I find
door L so I can
release my
cargo?
Okay, what airline is your cargo
on? Okay,
you need to go to their baggage
officer. It's all the way down there
where baggage claim seven is
yes
Appreciate it. Okay.
Door L.
I mean, what the heck is door L?
We don't have a door L!
A few minutes later, the same guy
comes back to the information desk.
I better help this gentleman right
here.
Can I help you, sir?
I just need to clear it's customs
so I can pick it up from
a different location.
So you're picking something
up from customs.
They told me
either door L,
door 25,
go to door L straight ahead
or volunteer desk to the right
Okay, well the letter L
is all the way down at the end and
then go out to the curve.
So it's outside or
is it where 7 is located?
I have Asperger's, sorry, so...
Okay, I'm old.
I'm elderly and I'm getting
confused.
I don't know what to say.
What are you trying to find?
Are you trying to find a bag
that has been shipped?
It's a live animal, so it was
shipped, a dog.
It's a dog.
Oh, thank goodness.
From abroad and I'm here to just
clear the customs so I can
pick it up from Terminal T.
The customs agents are all behind
the locked door working with
international arrivals.
I can do that.
You can try, when those doors
open, you can try talking
to a customs person.
Yeah, I get tackled
and shot maybe or something.
I don't want to go into
a locked door.
They don't carry guns, and it's
illegal to have a gun in the
airport.
I don't look so...
OK, I appreciate it, thanks.
Okay, good luck soon.
That's the podcast, 24 Hours in
Austin, and don't worry, reporter
Greta Díaz González Vázquez followed
that man to find the dog at the
airport.
You can find out what happens by
listening to the podcast episode
by going to kutkutx.studio.
That's our show for today.
I'm your host, Jerry Quijano.
We will talk to you tomorrow.
Have a great day out there.