Chapter 22 — Oak Springs Elementary community meeting
**Date in the room:** Wednesday, November 5, 2025. **Source:** `meetings/clean/20251106-Oak-Springs-Elementary-School-Community-Meeting--November-5-2025.txt`
**Draft:** Oak Springs **closes** and students move **to Blackshear** to break the TAP chain. Bond modernization **paused** so dollars follow students. Community idea (including a meeting with Rev. Lans): combine, then later a modernized **Oak Springs** as the home — still one school, not two. November 20 vote is **reassignment of the attendance boundary** (board’s job). Where the building sits afterward is administration (`00:11:35`). Blackshear meeting has not happened yet as of the Oct. 30 TAP briefing; this is Nov. 5.
Who is in the room
**Campus:** Principal of Oak Springs (proud principal, cheering). ASL and Spanish interpretation.
**Staff who speak:** Christina Wynn, director of communications; Superintendent Segura.
**Board:** none present, none speaking. Segura cites “this board, this administration” and “conversation with our trustees” as next step after talking to Blackshear (`00:26:37`). A speaker at `01:09:33` says she said this “when I was on the board” (Cheryl — former trustee, not a sitting speaker from the dais). “Trustee Bradley” is named by a parent as a prior conversation, not present (`00:38:34` in a later Q).
Opening (`00:00:01`–`00:14:51`)
Principal: listen, hear what this community believes is best. Christina: weight of the day. Segura: harm, disruption; historically Black and brown students have not gotten what they need for half a century (`00:03:00`). Strong neighborhood schools in **every** part of the city. Five items: East Austin feeder splits (Mendez, Martin → 3–5 high schools); transfer policies pulling families out; budget — **$100 million** cut, central office downsized, still **116 schools / 70,000 students** vs. 96 / ~70k in 1996, **~20,000 extra seats** more than the Moody Center; “not the Matias accountability system, not a board of trustees accountability system, the state’s” (`00:08:48`) — 30 F (23), 29 (24), 23 (25) in five months; board of managers if they don’t break chains; programs (DL, Montessori) must stay viable.
Oak Springs specifically (`00:12:31`): “it breaks my heart.” 2022 and 2024 bonds committed a new school here; he was part of that. Even if everyone in the neighborhood came, it would not be full (`00:13:12`). Blackshear chosen as blend partner because **long-range plan / community** said the historic Blackshear building must be preserved — “which is why we went that way” (`00:13:54`). Staff and leaders will be protected. He cannot do nothing.
Q&A
**Transportation / tracks (`00:15:25`).** Title I; happy about combining with a new school; fourth/fifth graders crossing **train tracks** (no horn), past a homeless shelter, 30 minutes; third-generation Marine family, will stay AISD. Segura: can provide transportation; needs local nuance. Parent: new build was 2027 — maybe only **one fall** at Blackshear, open combined in **spring 2027**. Segura: document says still exploring; is she asking Blackshear to move to Oak Springs long term? Applause. Parent: Blackshear is older; maintenance vs. the bond they already approved.
Segura: same idea came up with **Rev. Lans**; that’s what got it into the document. Will not have the conversation without Blackshear at the table (`00:19:47`).
**504 / small school (`00:20:41`).** Came from a “really great school in a really great neighborhood”; child did not excel. Oak Springs: every adult knows every kid by name; scores up; grandmother raising her; “projects” vs. this building. Groundbreaking next door — “why waste all that money.” Teacher pay. Segura: three raises (23 biggest in 30 years; 24 TRE; 25 HB2) (`00:27:38`).
**Charles Miller**, born on the hill (`00:24:33`): “we’re the oppressed and they’re the oppressor.” Relatives worked at Blackshear; population changed. Advantage to bring **them here**. Segura: initial draft was a response to “Blackshear’s historic, Zavala is historic… if you’re going to make changes, make sure you don’t go there.” If community will think differently, he can support students in a **modernized** building. Two separate schools of a little over 200 are “not viable long term” (`00:26:42`).
**Staff / community (`00:28:33`):** “it’s not the building that makes the community, it’s the people” — Mr. Miller, Renee, Miss Synagog, 14 years. Another: don’t lose what L.C. Anderson lost, what Keeling lost. Parents without cars, disabled, literacy night across the street. Kids already see they “don’t never get anything new.” Combine as primary/intermediate? Charters poaching at the curb. Yearbook with Keeling, pair with Eastside. ICE, arrests in front of kids, shootings. “Why do we get rid of our historical schools that were only for the black and brown families?” (`00:33:16`).
**Cheryl** (former board, `01:08`–`01:09`): science targets lower for Black children than for sped — she watched a board meeting. Pause Bryker Woods, Maplewood, Palm and the boundaries, “pause on everything else,” or “all you are seeing is white privilege.” “Nothing is ever done for us. It’s done to us.” Segura knows her; scorecard disaggregates; Black students and sped **exceeded** 24–25 and 25–26 targets (`01:10:45`). She: no programs here. He: can add programming; constraint is how many students live in the area.
Christina: academic framework / baseline. Segura: unacceptable that rigor differs by campus. Spring: academic vision. “If you go to this school, **you will have a librarian**. You will have this number of instructional coaches” (`01:13:51`). Cannot ensure that now — “inch deep and a mile wide.”
**Victoria**, staff and parent (`01:14:04`): staff can send kids anywhere; she keeps choosing Oak Springs. Safety: **~116 kids walk** home; staff walk them; two students hit crossing to Booker T; “no train horn” signs (`01:15:13`). Segura: hazardous-route transportation.
Meeting runs to ~`01:31`. He stays for one-on-ones.
Board vs. staff
Staff only. A former trustee speaks from the floor. Sitting board is a next conversation after Blackshear, not a voice in this gym.