Dozens of in-person speakers and recorded callers pressed the Austin ISD board on Thursday to keep Becker Elementary open as both a neighborhood and dual-language campus and to preserve campus resources including the Becker Green Classroom garden.

Several speakers said the draft consolidation plan was developed without meaningful community input and asked the district to pursue alternatives to closure. "This plan closes now 10 schools, and for what gain? ... The wall to wall campuses are being closed in order to redistribute those resources to similar student populations, all for a mere 2.99% increase in DL access for EB students," Becker parent Delicia McClain told the board. Speakers said the district should instead invest in enrollment, transportation and outreach to keep successful dual-language programs intact and to reduce barriers that prevent emergent bilingual families from accessing existing programs.

Key local asks: Becker families asked trustees to 1) keep Becker open as a dual-language and neighborhood school, 2) consider rezoning Bolden neighborhood to Zilker instead of Galindo for walkability, 3) preserve the Becker Green Classroom and other community assets, and 4) work with community partners to expand outreach, transportation and early-childhood pathways rather than closing a successful campus.

What district staff and trustees said: Trustees and the superintendent repeatedly encouraged engagement and said staff would not be prohibited from talking with families; superintendent Segura later said the district would pause boundary-refinement work while it audited whether community voice had been fully incorporated.

Why it matters: Becker is one of several campuses at the center of the consolidation proposal and its fate is tied to enrollment, access for emergent bilingual students and preservation of neighborhood assets. The community presented proposals and petitions and urged trustees to give the plan more time and better documentation of alternatives.

Evidence: Multiple callers and in-person speakers referenced Becker specifically (in-person speakers began at 00:51:32 and continued through recorded calls). The board also heard other neighborhood concerns (Zilker, Ridgetop, Pickle) during the public-comment segment.