'You broke our trust': Ridgetop Elementary parents upset over AISD consolidation plan

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The final day of meetings with Superintendent Matias Segura over consolidation plans with the Austin Independent School District (AISD) happened Wednesday, including a meeting with Ridgetop Elementary parents.

The meeting comes one day after the district updated its closure plan, removing three schools from the list. With the Tuesday evening update, there are now 10 schools planned to consolidate.

During a packed meeting Wednesday morning, Ridgetop parents brought up concerns over the latest change. They cited a lack of transparency by the district, with one parent saying they felt blindsided by the news.

Segura said the board will still vote Nov. 20 on parts of the draft consolidation plan, including the plan to relocate schoolwide dual language programs, which includes a program at Ridgetop.

In multiple meetings with the community, Segura expressed that closing schools and redrawing the district’s boundaries would help reduce the district’s nearly $20 million budget shortfall and ensure the long-term health of the school district. According to Austin ISD, district-wide enrollment dropped 14.5% over the last decade.

"You're asking us to trust you, but you broke our trust," one parent yelled out during the meeting.

“As we think about becoming more efficient, because we have limited resources, we need to make sure that those resources go to where they’re needed,” Superintendent Matias Segura told KXAN in August. “We have to think about doing things differently, and that means reducing our overall footprint within Austin ISD as far as structures and number of buildings.”

Read more about some of the most commonly asked questions about the proposed consolidation plans here.

KXAN's Barrett Tryon is at the meeting. He'll have updates during KXAN News at 11 and noon.