What does a flipped Texas mean for Rundberg?

On Tuesday night, the state of Texas did something historic – it flipped blue.

A slate of Democrats won statewide offices for the first time in decades. Gina Hinojosa, a Democrat and Austin state representative, unseated incumbent Greg Abbott. James Talarico beat Ken Paxton for a seat in the U.S. Senate. Vikki Goodwin defeated Dan Patrick in the race for lieutenant governor, and even more Democrats won powerful seats in the Texas government.

These wins signal a new wave of leadership on the horizon – but what does a flipped Texas mean for Rundberg?

Austin ISD and Takeovers

For months, the fate of the Austin Independent School District has remained in limbo.

Three schools, including Dobie Middle School, have been under turnaround plans due to low state accountability scores. Earlier this year, Webb and Burnet Middle Schools received a fifth consecutive ‘F’ rating. That rating triggered a state law that requires the commissioner of the Texas Education Agency to either close the schools or replace the entire district’s elected board, also described as a state takeover. How exactly a state takeover looks depends on the current education commissioner, Mike Morath.

Morath was appointed as the education commissioner by Governor Greg Abbott in 2016. Since then, he’s implemented the takeover of 11 school districts, including Houston. With Austin schools on line, it seemed highly likely Austin ISD would soon be under state control.

But that all changed on Tuesday night.

His reign as commissioner depends on getting re-appointed by the governor, but, now, a new governor enters the equation.

New Governor, New Commissioner

For years, Dr. Allen Weeks, executive director of Austin Voices for Education and Youth, and his organization have provided resources for Rundberg families and pushed for investment in public education. They even led families down to the capitol to protest against school vouchers last year. He says Hinojosa’s appointment could change Austin ISD’s future.

“I’ve talked a lot about how this election was make or break,” Week says.

Hinojosa ran on a campaign to “save” public schools, reiterating promises to fire Mike Morath in her acceptance speech.

“In case you have not heard, on day one, I will fire Mike Morath, and we will work tirelessly to repair the damage of the Texas vouchers scam and end an era in which our schools are sold for parts,” Hinojosa said to supporters.

Alongside promises to fire Morath, Hinojosa says she wants to end state takeovers.

“She has said she's going to put a pause on that system and the sanctions that are part of that,” says Acacia Coronado, education reporter for the Austin Current.

However, Coronado says there is still a small window where Morath could enact changes. Final accountability ratings for schools are finalized in December, just a month before the governor-elect enters office.

“There is a gap between when these ratings become final and when a new commissioner might come into place,” Coronado says. “There is a chance that he could enforce the law in any specific way that he chooses until he is no longer in that position.”

However, she says policy experts have said that “they don't believe that that would happen” because of the instability it could cause schools and the district.

Legal experts have told Coronado that a new commissioner will still have to take some action with Austin ISD– it would still be required by state law. But, now, there’s a lot of room in how to carry out that mandate

“Austin has triggered this law, but with a new education commissioner, how that law is interpreted and how that plays out could look very differently than what we might have seen under a different administration.”

In the short-term, state intervention at local schools could look very different than it might have a week ago. Long-term, Weeks hopes Hinojosa and new state leadership will get rid of a term that’s already upended Dobie Middle School - reconstitution.

“Where you say ‘we're going to remove half the teachers, we're going to remove the principal,’ and then you've got one year, you've got two years we still have this reconstitution practice going on,” Week says. “And it's why Dobie and Webb and Burnet and other schools have had to change really good principals and good staff have had to leave.”

He says the current model in place is “constantly destabilizing schools.”

Dobie, Webb and Burnet all saw massive amounts of staff turnover when they entered into turnaround plans, which required teachers to meet certain criteria to work there. But Hinojosa and the new lieutenant governor Vikki Goodwin ran on a platform centered on education reform.

“The governor elect was very clear in her campaign that education is a huge focus for her. She actually started her political career in Austin as a trustee for Austin ISD,” Coronado says. “And so, I think this is going to have some pretty big ramifications for what public education looks like in the state.”

__Passed Propositions __

On the local level, even more changes can be coming to neighborhoods in Rundberg. Voters approved two multimillion dollar bond measures that will add parks and libraries across Austin.

Part of Proposition A included allocating $65.5 million for improving park and recreational facilities, including the Gus Garcia Recreation Center. Some of those improvements include building a new senior wing, which staff say they need the space.

“We see such a large influx of numbers here, just because of the location that we’re at,” says Ally Medina. Medina oversees the senior programs at the Gus Garcia Rec Center. When we spoke with her earlier this summer, she said the Gus Garcia Rec Center is a hub for a variety of services, including free groceries through Austin Public Health, a congregate site for Meals On Wheels, as well as hosting special events and field trips.She said their seniors programs are in high demand and more space means they can welcome more people in a rapidly aging city.

“Being able to be a congregate site, knowing that they're going to have a guaranteed meal, things like that, that draws a lot of people that other sites don't see for that reason.”

Prop A also includes funds to improve pools like the Walnut Creek Municipal Pool. Proposition B, another bond measure, also passed. It will fund park improvements across the city, including securing park space for areas that may be "park deficient.”

What now?

These are just a few immediate ways the election will impact Rundberg.

New leadership at the local, state and national level could mean even more changes from cost of living to immigration enforcement. Some changes, like a new education commissioner, will happen pretty fast. Others, like improving rec centers, will take more time.

But all those changes started with voters across the country and in the Rundberg community making their voices heard.