PUBLIC RECORD NOTICE — Stephen F. Austin Elementary (BISD)

On Friday, December 19th, 2025, I submitted a formal public comment, preservation of record, and request for immediate oversight regarding Brazosport Independent School District’s proposed closure and reconfiguration of Stephen F. Austin Elementary School, a historic neighborhood campus serving the Jones Creek community.

This submission is not an opinion piece.
It is a single, unified XXXV-section oversight record, formally provided to state and federal oversight authorities, legislators, and Brazosport ISD.

Bond Accountability Comes First
Voters approved bond funding in 2014 and 2019, including approximately $19 million repeatedly referenced by the District in connection with Stephen F. Austin Elementary. Before any closure or reconfiguration may proceed, the public is entitled to a complete, itemized accounting of how those funds were used, paused, redirected, or abandoned. Summaries are not sufficient. Receipts are required.

STEM Academy Marketing Matters
Public bond materials, district newsletters, and construction bid records explicitly reference “Construction of Stephen F. Austin STEM Academy Replacement.”
If Stephen F. Austin was marketed to voters as a STEM Academy to justify bond approval—but was never properly certified, implemented, evaluated, or sustained—this raises serious concerns of material misrepresentation to voters.

Enrollment Decline Did Not Occur in a Vacuum
District enrollment declines followed:
• Bond disruption
• Floodplain reclassification
• Prolonged uncertainty about the campus
• Denial of student transfers to SFA
• Removal of SFA from BISD’s transfer options

Families respond to instability. Enrollment decline cannot be divorced from district actions. BISD’s own data shows uneven feeder-pattern declines, with losses concentrated in Freeport-area campuses while district-wide figures are used to justify localized elimination.

Governance and Predetermination Concerns
District presentations frame rezoning as a recommendation, not an open question, with pre-assigned receiving campuses, while policy revisions occurred simultaneously with closure planning. These facts raise serious concerns regarding predetermination and governance integrity.

Why This Matters
School closures are irreversible.
Communities are erased.
Promises made to voters matter.

Before any final decision is made, there must be:
Full transparency
Full bond accounting
Independent oversight
Compliance with state and federal obligations

This record has been formally submitted to appropriate oversight authorities to ensure accountability before irreversible harm occurs.

—
Rhonda Clavell Rivera
Founder & Executive Director
Guardians for Transparency Through Truth, Education & Reform