AISD Trustees Ponder Hiring Interim Super for Keeps, and More

Trustee Candace Hunter demands that the interim superintendent declare an emergency over reading outcomes for students of color (screenshot via Austin ISD)

When the Austin ISD Board of Trustees appointed then-Chief of Operations Matias Segura to the position of interim superintendent last December, they told us they wanted someone stable to hold the position for only six months, until a permanent superintendent could be hired in June. Several board members said they were looking for a changemaker from outside of the administration. Now, with the search beginning, some on the board are implying that they'd like to see Segura get the permanent position.

Trustee Ofelia Zapata said the people she speaks to about the superintendent search mostly just want to talk about Segura. "What the community is saying about the superintendent is, 'Can we keep Matias?'" Zapata said at the board's March 9 information session. "And that's just evidence of how many people are feeling respected in a way that they haven't been before."

Segura, who grew up in Austin and attended its public schools, is the third person to lead the district this year; he's been on the job since December. His elevation came after two years of leadership struggles and COVID disruptions that have been blamed for a record number of teacher resignations and declining student enrollment.

His supporters say that Segura has brought stability to the district and improved morale. Trustee Kevin Foster echoed Zapata's comments at the March 9 meeting, telling the board he is also hearing the praise. "I'm hearing it over and over again, unsolicited, from the business community, teachers, families – I'm hearing it from all corners," he said. Trustee David Kauffman acknowledged the sentiment, but reminded those present that the board is not signaling that Segura is their choice.

The board covered other topics in the expansive five-hour session. They heard about the district's ongoing development of its Long Range Plan; its lobbying efforts at the state Capitol to bring more money to the district and oppose vouchers; the success of its multilingual education efforts; and its imminent development projects at the Anita Ferrales Coy Facility and Pease Elementary, among other things.

They also addressed the very disappointing midyear math and reading test results from economically disadvantaged third-grade students of color. Of all the students affected by the pandemic, this group, who entered school in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, has been hurt the worst. The results demonstrated that they are far behind their peers in these critical subjects.

Trustee Candace Hunter choked up as she discussed the test results, reminding the audience that illiteracy is a pipeline to prison and homelessness. She quoted Frederick Doug­lass, who famously said, "Once you learn to read, you will be forever free." "I tell you, if literacy is freedom, then we are shackling yet another generation of Black and brown children," Hunter said, her voice husky with emotion. "I am requesting, pleading, and demanding that the interim superintendent declare a state of emergency and immediately design a plan that has an implementation in 2023-2024 – that includes parents as partners – to look at priority staffing and to shift resources where they are so desperately needed."

Trustee Andrew Gonzales amplified Hunter's remarks, recalling how his grandmother and father were allowed to drop out of the Eastside schools they attended. "This is a crisis and it has gone on for families like mine in this district for decades – for decades," Gonzales said.

Segura agreed – "I do believe it is a crisis" – but assured those in attendance that he and his team are working on proposals to address it. "It's gonna require y'all being brave, y'all considering things that haven't been considered before ... You're going to have to be brave with us."