Civic
Burnet Middle and Webb Middle parents have 8 days to turn in petitions
AISD is borrowing $140M for payroll through November while the petition clock runs to Oct 15.
October 5, 2026
Burnet Middle and Webb Middle parents have until Oct. 15 — eight days from Wednesday, Oct. 7 — to turn in petitions. The Austin Current reports Oct. 15 is the deadline to submit petitions asking Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath to close the campuses, after a fifth straight year below state academic standards. Each petition has to be signed by the parents of more than half the students enrolled at that campus. The Current reported Oct. 5 that no signature drive had started yet.
KUT reports AISD is borrowing $140 million to cover payroll through November while it waits on property-tax collections. Property-tax cash is late, so the district is bridging until collections land.
Parents told the Current the ask comes after years of turnover and thin support. Ingrid Saucedo, whose children are at Burnet, said the district has not helped them. Superintendent Matias Segura told the Current he owns that record: “At the end of the day, we own it, I own it.” He said the district kept lower expectations for schools with high shares of economically disadvantaged students.
The Current reports AISD is appealing both ratings. It does not give an appeal date. Unless a rating changes, the state has to intervene. A granted closure is not a free pass. The Current reports education policy experts say Morath could close the campuses and still add sanctions.
On Sept. 14, Segura told families the district will not gather petition signatures or advocate for the petition. Families can still act on their own.
Sources
- Austin Current, Oct. 5 — Oct. 15 deadline; parents of more than 50 percent at each campus; no signature drive started yet; Segura, “we own it, I own it”; AISD is appealing both ratings, no appeal date in the story; experts say Morath could still add sanctions
- Austin ISD, Sept. 14 — Segura: the district will not gather signatures or advocate for the petition
- KUT, Sept. 9 — fifth consecutive year; parent-petition path
- KUT, Sep. 28 — borrow $140 million to meet payroll through November while waiting on property-tax collections
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