Austin, TX
2026 Pro Swim Series — Austin: Day 2 Finals Live Recap
2026 PRO SWIM SERIES – AUSTIN
Thursday Finals Heat Sheet
Welcome to the 2nd finals session of the 2026 Pro Swim Series in Austin, and we are in for an exciting one tonight.
We will start the session with the event finals for the 200 IM and 50 freestyle, which swam their semifinals yesterday. World Record holders Summer McIntosh and Leon Marchand hold the top times in both 200 IM events, which will be the first two events of the meet.
Simone Manuel and Maxime Grousset had the fastest semifinal times in the 50 freestyle and will each lead tonight’s event finals.
We will then move into the semifinals of the men’s and women’s 50 breaststroke where Skyler Smith and Van Mathias are the top seeds. Mathias is fresh off a Pro Swim Series record in the event, swimming 26.57 in prelims.
Charlotte Crush and Kieran Smith are the top seeds in the first typical event finals of the evening, though they aren’t far ahead of their competition with Teagan O’Dell coming in behind Crush and Marchand and Yohann Ndoye-Brouard sitting less than a second behind Smith.
The women’s 100 fly could be one of the most exciting events of the session with Regan Smith coming in as the top seed ahead of Summer McIntosh. On the men’s side, Caeleb Dressel earned the top time, about half-a-second ahead of Grousset.
The session will wrap up with the 400 freestyle finals where last night’s 1500 champion Katie Ledecky is the top women’s seed, 11 seconds ahead of Rylee Erisman, who is looking for a strong swim to match her electric 500 from Winter Juniors.
The men’s 400 free could be a close race with Daniel Wiffen leading Ilia Sibirtsev and Bobby Finke by just over a second. Ryan Erisman is also in the mix there, and is coming off a massive best time in last night’s 1500 freestyle.
WOMEN’S 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY – Final
- World Record: 2:05.70 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2025)
- American Record: 2:06.15 – Ariana Kukors (2009)
- US Open Record: 2:06.79 – Kate Douglass, USA (2024)
- PSS Record: 2:06.82 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2025)
- World Jr Record: 2:06.56 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2024)
Pool Record: 2:08.51 – Madisyn Cox
Top 8 Finishers
- Summer McIntosh (TXLA) — 2:08.48
- Cyrielle Duhamel (FRA) — 2:13.73
- Teagan O’Dell (CAL) — 2:14.06
- Emma Weyant (GSC) — 2:14.23
- Lindsay Looney (TXLA) — 2:17.86
- Ava Chavez (CAL) — 2:18.86
- Rowyn Wilber (CLOV) — 2:18.92
- Maren Byrne (ALTO) — 2:19.05
Summer McIntosh swam to an easy victory in the women’s 200 IM, stopping the clock in 2:08.48 to come in more than five seconds ahead of the rest of the field and break Madisyn Cox’s pool record in the process.
McIntosh was out in 27.44, claiming the lead at the very start as the only swimmer under 28 seconds on the opening 50. She split 31.82 on the backstroke, the fastest in the field by more than two seconds. Nobody else was even under 34 seconds.
The breaststroke leg saw McIntosh touch in 38.65 before she came home in 30.57 on the freestyle, locking up the top spot and the fastest split on all four 50s.
France’s Cyrielle Duhamel finished 2nd after sitting in 3rd for most of the race. She was out behind Teagan O’Dell, splitting 28.52/34.27/39.47 on the first 3 50s, but her final 50 of 31.47 was more than a second faster than O’Dell and moved her into the silver medal position.
O’Dell was 28.42/34.17/38.97/32.50 to finish 3rd in 2:14.06, three seconds off her lifetime best 2:11.24 from July.
Emma Weyant finished 4th in 2:14.23, another new personal best, dropping from the 2:14.74 she swam in the semifinal
MEN’S 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY – Final
- World Record: 1:52.69 – Leon Marchand, FRA (2025)
- American Record: 1:54.00 – Ryan Lochte (2011)
- US Open Record: 1:54.43 – Ryan Lochte, USA (2010)
- PSS Record: 1:55.68 – Leon Marchand, FRA (2023)
- World Jr Record: 1:56.99 – Hubert Kos, HUN (2021)
- Pool Record: 1:55.50 — Hubert Kos
Top 8 Finishers
- Leon Marchand (TXLA) — 1:57.65
- Carson Foster (NYAC) — 1:58.96
- Kieran Smith (RAC) — 1:59.86
- Grant Sanders (UN-FL) — 2:01.93
- Gerhardt Hoover (CS) — 2:05.80
- Cullen Kahl (MAC) — 2:06.18
- Ethan Heasley (HEAT) — 2:07.57
- Rafael Arizpe Arriaga (IM) — 2:07.69
Leon Marchand picked up the win in the men’s 200 IM final, touching in 1:57.65 to earn the top time by more than a second.
Marchand was the fastest on the first three 50s, splitting 24.97/29.79 and 33.57 on the fly/back and breaststroke splits, and his freestyle leg of 29.32 was 3rd behind Carson Foster and Kieran Smith.
Texas teammate Carson Foster finished 2nd in 1:58.96, a little more than three seconds off his lifetime best 1:55.65 from the 2024 Olympic Trials. Foster was 2nd through the entire race, splitting 25.48 on the opening 50 to get out just ahead of Kieran Smith. He was 30.03 on the backstroke and 34.50 on the breaststroke to put himself comfortably in the 2nd place position. He brought the race home in 28.95, the fastest freestyle leg in the field for the silver medal.
Kieran Smith was 3rd in 1:59.86 after splitting 25.60/30.01/35.16/29.09 to also come home faster than Marchand on the final 50. His final time was about three seconds off his best 1:56.97, also from the 2024 Olympic Trials.
WOMEN’S 50 FREESTYLE – Final
- World Record: 23.61 – Sarah Sjostrom, SWE (2023)
- American Record: 23.91 – Kate Douglass/Gretchen Walsh, USA (2024)
- US Open Record: 23.91 – Gretchen Walsh, USA (2024)
- PSS Record: 24.17 – Sarah Sjostrom, SWE (2016)
- World Jr Record: 24.17 – Claire Curzan, USA (2021)
- Pool Record: 24.17 – Sarah Sjostrom
Top 8 Finishers
- Simone Manuel (TXLA) — 24.79
- Beryl Gastaldello (FRA) — 24.85
- Marie Wattel (FRA) — 24.97
- Anna Peplowski (ISC) — 25.14
- Analia Pigree (FRA) — 25.23
- Claire Weinstein (UN) — 25.53
- Chloe Stepanek (LIAC) — 25.84
- Emma Harvey (BER) — 26.85
The women’s 50 free was tight with the top two swimmers touching just six hundredths apart. Simone Manuel came out on top, touching in 24.79 to just beat France’s Beryl Gastaldello, who swam 24.85 for 2nd.
Manuel was just off the 24.77 she swam in the semifinals while Gastaldello dropped on hundredth from her semifinals swim of 24.86.
Marie Wattel finished 3rd in 24.97 to wrap up the sub-25 swimmers in the event.
Anna Peplowski was 5th in 25.14, setting a new lifetime best, dropping from her 25.29 from June of this year.
MEN’S 50 FREESTYLE – Final
- World Record: 20.91 – Cesar Cielo, BRA (2009)
- American Record: 21.04 – Caeleb Dressel, USA (2019)
- US Open Record: 21.04 – Caeleb Dressel, USA (2019)
- PSS Record: 21.51 – Caeleb Dressel, USA (2020)
- World Jr Record: 21.75 – Michael Andrew, USA (2017)
- Pool Record: 21.44 – Fred Bousquet
Top 8 Finishers
- Andrej Barna (SRB) — 21.77
- Maxime Grousset (FRA) — 21.82
- Jack Alexy (CAL) — 21.92
- Brooks Curry (CAL) — 22.00
- Matt King (ISC) — 22.13
- Nikita Baez (FRA) — 22.25
- Chris Guiliano (TXLA) — 22.31
- Masahiro Kawane (MEI) — 22.45
The men’s 50 freestyle was even closer than the women’s with the top three swimmers touching just 0.15 seconds apart. Andrej Barna was able to hold off a late surge from Maxime Grousset to touch in 21.77, winning by just five hundredths.
Grousset finished 2nd in 21.82, about two tenths off the 21.62 he swam in the semifinal.
Jack Alexy was a tenth back of Grousset in 21.92, his fastest swim of the three sessions, and he came in just ahead of teammate Brooks Curry’s 22.00.
WOMEN’S 50 BREASTSTROKE – Semifinal
- World Record: 29.16 Rute Meilutyte, LTU (2023)
- American Record: 29.40 – Lilly King (2017)
- US Open Record: 29.62 – Lilly King, USA (2018)
- PSS Record: 29.62 – Lilly King, USA (2018)
- World Jr Record: 29.30 – Benedetta Pilato, ITA (2018)
Top 8 Qualifiers
- Anna Elendt (TXLA) — 30.85
- Skyler Smith (NCAC) — 30.86
- Kate Canales (AAAA) — 31.96
- Ella Peterson (DADS) — 33.10
- Maya McCarney (NCAP) — 33.38
- Caprie Moreno (TIDE) — 33.59
- Grace Hunt (YSSC) — 33.83
- Kia Alert (CW) — 33.86
The 1st semifinal went to Texas swimmer Anna Elendt in 30.85, touching more than two seconds ahead of Ella Peterson, who finished 2nd in the 1st semifinal with her 33.10 to qualify 4th overall.
Skyler Smith won the 2nd semifinal, just a hundredth slower than Elendt, touching in 30.86 to win her heat by more than a second. Kate Canales finished 2nd in 31.96, qualifying 3rd.
Maya McCarney was 33.88 for 5th from heat two, and the rest of the final will be made up of swimmers from the 1st semifinal.
Caprie Moreno (33.59), Grace Hunt (33.83), and Kia Alert (33.86) round out tomorrow’s event final.
MEN’S 50 BREASTSTROKE – Semifinal
- World Record: 25.95 – Adam Peaty, GBR (2017)
- American Record: 26.45 – Nic Fink (2022)
- US Open Record: 26.52 – Michael Andrew, USA (2022)
- PSS Record: 26.57 — Van Mathias, USA (2025)
- World Jr Record: 26.97 – Nicolo Martinenghi, ITA (2017)
Top 8 Qualifiers
- Van Mathias (ISC) — 26.62
- Mitch Mason (TFA) — 27.34
- Denis Petrashov (CARD) — 27.37
- Finn Brooks (ISC) — 27.52
- Jack Kelly (NYAC) — 27.55
- Brian Benzing (ISC) — 27.58
- Andres Puente Bustamante (TFA) — 27.63
- Jeremie Delbois (FRA) — 27.67
Van Mathias did not rebreak his PSS record from the prelims, but he earned a dominant victory in the men’s 50 breaststroke, touching in 26.62 to come in seven tenths ahead of 2nd place finisher Mitch Mason from his same semifinal.
Denis Petrashov was also in the 2nd semifinal, and he qualified 3rd overall in 27.37, just three hundredths back of Mason.
Indiana’s Finn Brooks was 4th after winning the first semifinal in 27.52, just three hundredths ahead of Jack Kelly’s 27.55.
WOMEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – Final
- World Record: 2:03.14 – Kaylee McKeown, AUS (2023)
- American Record: 2:03.35 – Regan Smith (2019)
- US Open Record: 2:03.80 – Regan Smith, USA (2023)
- PSS Record: 2:03.99 – Regan Smith, USA (2024)
- World Jr Record: 2:03.35 – Regan Smith, USA (2019)
- Pool Record: 2:05.52 – Regan Smith, USA (2025)
Top 8 Finishers
- Charlotte Crush (LAK) — 2:09.79
- Teagan O’Dell (CAL) — 2:11.13
- Rowyn Wilber (CLOV) — 2:14.38
- Tessa Christiansen (AAAA) — 2:16.17
- Georgia Wimberly (LAC) — 2:16.69
- Sydney Wasylenky (TOPS) — 2:16.77
- Lucy Gilbreath (HCA) — 2:17.81
- Haddie Vohs (FASTIN) — 2:21.99
The women’s 200 backstroke was missing American Record holder Regan Smith, and Charlotte Crush stepped up to the plate, swimming 2:09.79 to lock up the win by more than a second over Cal freshman Teagan O’Dell.
Crush’s swim was nearly three seconds off her lifetime best 2:07.05 from the USA Swimming Nationals in June. She grabbed the lead at the start, splitting 30.17/33.17 on the opening 100 to turn in 1:03.34, eight tenths ahead of O’Dell. She came home in 33.22/33.23 to split 1:06.45.
O’Dell was out in 1:04.14 after splitting 31.02/33.12 on her opening two 50s. She came home in 33.59/33.40, touching in 2:11.13 with her final 100 of 1:06.99. O’Dell’s lifetime best is 2:07.97 from the 2024 Olympic Trials.
Rowyn Wilber rounded out the podium in 2:14.38, just off her lifetime best of 2:14.07.
MEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – Final
- World Record: 1:51.92 – Aaron Peirsol, USA (2009)
- American Record: 1:51.92 – Aaron Peirsol, USA (2009)
- US Open Record: 1:53.08 – Aaron Peirsol, USA (2009)
- PSS Record: 1:55.04 – Jiayu Xu, CHN (2017)
- World Jr Record: 1:55.14 – Kliment Kolesnikov, RUS (2017)
- Pool Record: 1:54.21 – Hubert Kos, HUN (2025)
Top 8 Finishers
- Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (FRA) — 1:56.68
- Leon Marchand (TXLA) — 1:57.90
- Humberto Najera (CAL) — 1:58.87
- Mewen Tomac (FRA) — 1:59.58
- Kieran Smith (RAC) — 1:59.64
- Carson Foster (NYAC) — 2:01.66
- Mathys Chouchaoui (FRA) — 2:01.68
- Derek Hernandez-Ojeda (NTRO) — 2:03.64
France’s Yohann Ndoye-Brouard got out fast in the men’s 200 backstroke, taking a commanding lead in the first 100 and holding onto it through the remainder of the race, touching in 1:56.68 for the top time by more than a second.
He turned in 56.74 at the 100 mark after splitting 26.92/29.82, sitting more than a second ahead of Humberto Najera’s 57.77 in 2nd. He came home in 59.94 with final 50s of 30.25/29.69 to earn the win.
Leon Marchand finished 2nd overall, touching in 1:57.90 after turning in 3rd at the 100. He was out in 58.13 after splitting 28.01/30.12 to sit four tenths behind Najera and just a tenth ahead of Mewen Tomac’s 58.27. Marchand came home strong though, splitting 30.00/29.77 to touch in 59.77, passing Najera. Marchand’s lifetime best sits at 1:57.14 from June of 2025
Najera was 1:48.87 in 3rd overall, and Tomac finished 4th in 1:59.58.
WOMEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY – Final
- World Record: 54.60 – Gretchen Walsh, USA (2025)
- American Record: 54.60 – Gretchen Walsh (2025)
- US Open Record: 54.60 – Gretchen Walsh, USA (2025)
- PSS Record: 54.60 – Gretchen Walsh, USA (2025)
- World Jr Record: 56.33 – Mizuki Hirai, JPN (2024)
- Pool Record: 55.60 — Gretchen Walsh
Top 8 Finishers
- Regan Smith (TXLA) — 56.18
- Summer McIntosh (TXLA) — 58.56
- Marie Wattel (FRA) — 59.58
- Ava Chavez (CAL) — 1:00.33
- Simone Manuel (TXLA) — 1:00.46
- Mena Boardman (CS) — 1:00.79
- Emily Wolf (FASTIN) — 1:01.16
- Emma Harvey (BER) — 1:01.23
The women’s 100 fly was not as close as most people were anticipating. Regan Smith dominated the event from the start, and won by more than two seconds over Summer McIntosh.
Smith was out in 26.59, nearly a second ahead of McIntosh’s 27.52. She also had the fastest closing 50 in the field, splitting 29.59 to be the only swimmer under 30 seconds and the only swimmer under 31 seconds. McIntosh had the 2nd fastest final 50 of 31.04.
McIntosh touched in 58.56 for 2nd overall, about a second-and-a-half off her lifetime best 57.01 from last month’s U.S. Open Championships.
Marie Wattel finished 3rd in 59.58, rounding out the podium and the sub-minute swimmers. She was in 7th at the 50 mark, splitting 28.33, but she came home very strong, touching in 31.25 to pass four swimmers.
MEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY – Final
- World Record: 49.45 – Caeleb Dressel, USA (2021)
- American Record: 49.45 – Caeleb Dressel (2021)
- US Open Record: 49.76 – Caeleb Dressel, USA (2021)
- PSS Record: 50.42 – Ilya Kharun, CAN (2025)
- World Jr Record: 50.62 – Kristof Milak, HUN (2017)
- Pool Record: 50.24 – Shaine Casas, USA (2025)
Top 8 Finishers
- Maxime Grousset (FRA) — 50.95
- Caeleb Dressel (SJAC) — 51.62
- Clement Secchi (FRA) — 52.45
- Jack Dahlgren (AQJT) — 52.73
- Luke Barr (TFA) — 52.91
- Patrick Sammon (NYAC) — 53.54
- Ethan Heasley (HEAT) — 54.80
- Jimmy Beeson (YSSC) — 55.25
Reigning World Champion Maxime Grousset took the top time in the men’s 100 fly, picking up his 1st win of the session after he was just out touched in the men’s 50 freestyle.
Just like in the women’s event, Grousset got out to a quick lead, splitting 23.45 at the 50 mark to turn almost seven tenths ahead of Caeleb Dressel‘s 24.14 in 2nd. He came home in 27.50, the 2nd fastest closing 50 in the heat to win the event by nearly a second.
Dressel finished 2nd overall in 51.62, his fastest time in the event since the Paris Olympics. Dresel had the fastest closing split in the field of 27.48.
Clement Secchi from France finished 3rd in 52.45, a position he held throughout the race after splitting 24.20/28.25.
WOMEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – Final
Top 8 Finishers
- Katie Ledecky (GSC-FL) — 4:00.54
- Claire Weinstein (UN-CA) — 4:07.37
- Rylee Erisman (LAKR) — 4:11.02
- Emma Weyant (GSC-FL) — 4:11.48
- Brinkleigh Hansen (SPA-FL) — 4:11.78
- Anna Peplowski (ISC) — 4:14.47
- Emily Wolf (FASTIN) — 4:17.06
- Becca Mann (TAC-NC) — 4:20.10
Katie Ledecky crushed the women’s 400 freestyle, swimming 4:00.54 to earn the top time by almost seven seconds over Cal’s Claire Weinstein.
She was out in 57.58, already taking a commanding lead. Fro there, she split 1:00.57/1:01.19/1:01.20 to touch in 1st by a large margin. Ledecky was coming off the 2nd fastest time in history in the 1500, and mentioned in her post race interview that her 400 ‘hurt’ likely as a result of that swim yesterday.
Claire Weinstein was 2nd in 4:07.37, splitting 59.39/1:02.91/1:02.78/1:02.29 to lock up 2nd place in the event.
The bronze medal went to Rylee Erisman in 4:11.02, a massive best time. She takes more than 3 seconds off her pre-meet best of 4:14.74 from March of 2024 and two seconds off her prelims time of 4:13.25. She split 1:00.26/1:03.54/1:03.70/1:03.52 to hold off Emma Weyant’s 4:11.48 for 4th.
MEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – Final
- World Record: 3:39.46 – Lucas Martens, GER (2025)
- American Record: 3:42.78 – Larsen Jensen (2008)
- US Open Record: 3:43.33 – Rex Maurer, USA (2025)
- PSS Record: 3:43.55 – Yang Sun, CHN (2016)
- World Jr Record: 3:44.31 – Petar Mitsin (2023)
- Pool Record: 3:44.70 – Leon Marchand, FRA (2025)
Top 8 Finishers
- Ryan Erisman (CAL) — 3:46.75
- Ilia Sibirtsev (UZB) — 3:49.03
- Lucas Henveaux (CAL) — 3:51.17
- Bobby Finke (SPA-FL) — 3:51.41
- Denis Loktev (ISR) — 3:52.96
- Luke Hobson (NYAC) — 3:54.03
- Gabriel Jett (CAL) — 3:54.89
- Daniel Wiffen (CAL) — 3:56.15
Almost one year ago today, the Texas Longhorns found themselves in the losers’ bracket of their own regional, falling to the No. 3 seed UTSA Roadrunners in the 2025 Austin Regional.
For just a brief moment, it looked as if history was going to repeat itself once again, as the No. 3-seeded Tarleton State Texans got another chance at an upset, beating the Longhorns back in the regular season, 6-1, at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
But today, history was not going to repeat itself — the team that the Texans saw in the regular season was a different animal than the iteration in the winners’ bracket. Under another furious day at the plate for Texas, and an outstanding night on the mound for Dylan Volantis, Texas was not going to fall into the losers’ bracket for a second consecutive year.
“Obviously that guy on the mound, he’s one of the best pitchers, if not the best pitcher in college baseball for a reason,” said Tarleton State head coach Fuller Smith about Volantis. “We didn’t do a very good job, and I don’t know if we would beat anybody tonight, to be honest.”
Longhorns Look Unstoppable
If the past two days proved anything, Texas is playing its best baseball at the most crucial time of the season — in all three fronts of the game.
After a poor showing in the Southeastern Conference tournament by the Longhorns’ top three hitters. Aiden Robbins, Carson Tinney, and Anthony Pack Jr. have carried the brunt of the Texas offense in the postseason.
In the second inning alone, the trio rocketed three straight home runs to put the Texans down an early 6-0 hole, a deficit they would not come out of.
“I remember when I stepped on home plate [Anthony] Pack Jr. greeted me at home,” Tinney said. I looked at him, I was like, ‘It’s your turn now.’ And then two pitches later, he sent one out.”
Defensively, the Longhorns’ outfield, which struggled trying to find the right combination, has finally found the right grouping in Robbins, Pack Jr., and Dariyan Pendergrass.
Robbins and Pendergrass both were able to come up with deep fly ball grabs in the past two games. In the infield, missing core member Ethan Mendoza at second base, nonetheless, has yet to skip a beat.
“Pendergrass is a pretty veteran player, he’s been around the block a few times in college baseball,” Texas head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “Aiden has been a great teammate — Pack [Jr.] has improved greatly over the course of time.”
However, the real star of the regional so far has been the dominance on the mound from starters Luke Harrison and Volantis.
In the regional defining game, Volantis had no issue tossing up the Tarleton State order, who found great success against UC-Santa Barbara in the opening game. The sophomore pitcher lasted 6.2 innings, tossing seven strikeouts and allowing just three hits on the night.
With the giant lead by the time Volantis was pulled in the sixth inning, the Longhorns still have not used any of their premier relief arms in this regional.
“Those two innings were definitely helpful [in the SEC Tournament],” Volnatis said. “I definitely could have done the same without those two innings today.”
Texas now awaits a third rematch with Tarleton State or UC Santa Barbara and will not have to face either of their premier arms — notably Guachos pitcher Jackson Flora, a surefire first-round selection in this year’s MLB Draft.
The Longhorns will roll with Ruger Riojas tomorrow night and likely unload its best arms who have not seen action since the final regular season series against Missouri to seal up their first regional victory in three seasons.
“It’s always good to stay in the winner’s bracket and avoid those moments, but we haven’t won anything yet. We won two games,” Schlossnagle said. “I’m certainly excited about how we played to this point and yes, I’m glad we don’t have to play two tomorrow, but the tournament’s not over.”
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AUSTIN, Texas — One person is dead but has not been identified after the Austin Police Department responded to the scene of a deceased person call in South Austin Saturday afternoon.
According to officials, a deceased person was located in a parking lot just at around 12:25 p.m. at the 4400 Block of Pack Saddle Pass after officers responded to a check welfare urgent call.
The victim was pronounced deceased at 12:36 p.m. The incident is being investigated as a suspicious death, it is not being investigated as a homicide.
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The identity of the victim is still unknown, and the age and sex of the victim has not been released.
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Anyone with information that could help the investigation is encouraged to call the APD homicide unit at 512-477-3588 or APD Crimestoppers at 512-472-8477.
A possible state takeover continues to loom over the Austin Independent School District after the Texas Education Agency denied the district’s request for an accountability pause for three middle schools.
The denial also affects money that would have gone toward Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools, which have each received “F” ratings four times since 2019. A fifth “F” rating would open the district up to a state takeover.
Austin ISD schools expect to see their accountability scores, or grades, later this summer. If Burnet, Dobie, and Webb middle schools receive a fifth “F” each — all in the last seven years — the district could face a state takeover.
Houston ISD was taken over by the state in the 2023-2024 school year, and it has been reported as a rocky ride for teachers and families.
Toni Templeton, a senior research scientist at the University of Houston Education Research Center, said, “Generally, what we’re seeing is a large exodus of both teachers and students from the district.” Templeton and two colleagues released the first part of an ongoing study into the Houston takeover in January. Templeton said, “What that signals to us is that parents are choosing to put students in a different schooling option,” including a neighboring district or charter schools.
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Austin ISD has not been taken over, and the district’s future hinges on the next set of ratings. Asked whether Austin ISD is in a vulnerable place and how likely a takeover is, a district spokesperson provided a statement released by Superintendent Matias Segura on Thursday, saying in part, “Over the last two years, student outcomes have continued to improve across Austin ISD.”
Ken Zarifis, president of Education Austin, also pointed to improvement while raising concerns about the state’s authority. “I think the state will take over a school district if it wants to, and I think that’s a problem, but what we’ve got here is we’ve got some information that I think that is hopeful that we’ve got to produce as far as test scores,” Zarifis said.
He added, “Yeah, I think it’s really important to see what they’re doing now? Not, what are they doing in 2022? What are they doing today? What have they been doing the last few years? And there’s been an improvement, and they’re very hopeful for at least two of the schools.”
A Texas Education Agency spokesperson said that because accountability ratings come out in August, it is too soon to speculate.
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