Dobie Middle School might shut down after failing to meet state standards

AUSTIN, Texas - There was a crowded cafeteria room at Lamar Middle School as concerned parents piled into the Austin ISD community meeting to seek answers on the future of Dobie Middle School. 

While nothing has been officially announced yet, it seems likely that Dobie Middle School will be consolidated and combined with Lamar Middle School. 

On Monday, Austin ISD invited parents from both middle schools to discuss the transition process. 

Dobie Middle School's future

The backstory:

Some parents fear Dobie Middle School might be on the chopping block after it failed to meet state standards year after year. 

"What I'm not hearing is how Dobie students are being relocated, like a change of venue is not going to change their star testing scores." 

An email addressed to Lamar Middle School families and staff went out on Thursday evening. 

"AISD has done a lackluster job of giving us specific data and specific details about why they have the options that they're considering," said Dan Rozycki, a parent of a future student at Lamar Middle School.

The message stated that district leaders are carefully considering difficult options for the future of Dobie Middle School to prevent the Texas Education Agency from getting involved. 

"The guidance that we have right now is, you have got three months to plan, and you had better start implementing it in the fall of 2025," said Matias Segura, the AISD Superintendent.

Dig deeper:

The choices at Lamar Middle School included Dobie Middle School students beginning classes in the fall of 2025 in partnership with a charter school given TEA approval. 

The next possibility is to permanently close the Dobie campus in Northeast Austin and reassign students to another AISD middle school. 

"I just wanted to raise a question about a slide and just bring up safety. It would be better for Dobie's kids and our kids to not be super overcrowded." 

The third option would be to temporarily close Dobie and develop a plan to reimagine the school, with the objective of later reopening it. 

"It really matters to the families of Dobie Middle School," said Rozycki. "When you talk to the families of Dobby Middle School in the survey that they completed, they don't like any of those three options." 

Dobie Middle School has built a strong reputation for talent in its fine arts program and losing that is another worry for students and parents. 

"The fine arts, the mariachi, like all the things that they've been doing incredibly well there," said Segura. "We want to protect them so when they come back home, they're intact."

The Monday discussion largely centered around the likelihood of overcrowding at Lamar. 

"We are stressed," said Edward Bradfield, PTA President at Lamar Middle School. "We are stretched. We are packed."

What's next:

The board of trustees is scheduled to discuss the three options and potentially take action at the next meeting before the end of the month.