Good morning, Austin. It's Friday, October 3, 2025.
⚡ TL;DR
🏫 AISD's Big Reveal: The district's school closure and consolidation plan drops at 5:30 p.m. today. An online tool will show if your school is affected.
✈️ Airport Alert: It's a perfect storm of a federal shutdown, ACL Weekend 1, and low air traffic controller staffing. Arrive at ABIA 3+ hours early.
🚧 I-35 Shutdowns: Full nightly closures of I-35 through downtown begin Monday, Oct. 6, for two weeks. Plan for major overnight detours.
🔥 TODAY’S FOCUS: Austin ISD Releases School Consolidation Plan
What's Happening: Today at 5:30 p.m., Austin ISD will publish its comprehensive plan to redraw school boundaries and potentially close or merge campuses. The release was timed to allow principals to speak with staff first. Families will get access to an interactive “What’s My School?” map to see the direct impact on their address.
The Goal: The district is trying to solve a $19.7 million budget deficit and balance enrollment numbers across its campuses, with a final Board vote scheduled for November 20.
The Details:
Release: Today, Oct. 3 @ 5:30 p.m. on the AISD website.
Budget Deficit: $19.7M
Final Vote: Nov. 20, 2025
Go-Live Date: Changes would take effect for the 2026-27 school year.
Why It Matters for You: Tonight, you'll learn whether your child's school will close, merge, or have new boundaries beginning in 2026. Families in dual-language programs or at the 12 schools already under state "turnaround" orders should watch especially closely for changes.
How to Get Involved:
Check the Map: Use the “What’s My School?” tool on the AISD website after 5:30 p.m.
Give Feedback: A five-week public comment period opens today.
Track the Vote: The final Board of Trustees vote is on November 20.
📋 THE RUNDOWN
✈️ Airport Staffing at 45% During Peak Travel Season ABIA's control tower is operating with 27 of 60 FAA-required controllers during October's peak travel period, which includes ACL Festival (this weekend and Oct. 10-12) and the U.S. Grand Prix (Oct. 17-19). Controllers are working mandatory overtime without pay due to the federal shutdown. The airport expects to break its passenger record Oct. 20 with over 44,000 departures. Plan for longer security wait times. Arrive 2.5–3 hours early; check austintexas.gov/airport for real-time updates.
⚡ ERCOT Projects October Blackout Risk Under 1% Good news for the grid: ERCOT’s monthly forecast shows a less than 1% chance of energy emergency alerts for October under normal conditions. This means residents should not expect any grid-related conservation warnings this month. You can always track real-time conditions on the ERCOT dashboard.
🚧 TxDOT Announces Nightly I-35 Full Closures Starting Monday Get ready for overnight detours. TxDOT will completely shut down the I-35 mainlanes (both directions) between Cesar Chavez and Airport Blvd. The closures run 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., Monday–Friday, from Oct. 6–17, as crews set massive bridge beams. This means heavy congestion on frontage roads for all overnight cross-town traffic. Check DriveTexas.org before you go.
🏠 County Commits $5M to City Partnership for Supportive Housing Travis County voted to put $5 million toward a joint project with the City of Austin to create 70-80 new units of permanent supportive housing for residents experiencing chronic homelessness. The item now goes to City Council for final approval. This move adds dozens of housing units to the pipeline, expanding the city and county's permanent supportive housing capacity.
💡 BRIEF MENTIONS
City Council Sign-up: Speaker registration for the Oct. 9 City Council meeting opens Monday, Oct. 6 at 10 a.m.
Burn Ban: The Travis County burn ban is still active.
UT/Federal Deal: The UT System is reviewing a federal funding proposal that would require policy changes on tuition, gender definition, and international student enrollment. Faculty leaders are urging rejection.
🎟️ EVENTS TO CHECK OUT
Austin City Limits (ACL) Festival: Weekend 1 kicks off today at Zilker Park! Expect major traffic and crowds in the area.
AISD Consolidation Plan Release: The biggest civic event of the week happens online at 5:30 p.m. What's decided will shape Austin's public schools for a decade.
U.S. Grand Prix (Coming Soon): The F1 race is just two weeks away (Oct. 17-19), promising another major influx of visitors and record airport traffic on Monday, Oct. 20.
🗓️ YOUR CIVIC CALENDAR
Today, Oct. 3, 5:30 p.m.: AISD releases its consolidation and rezoning plan.
Monday, Oct. 6: Last day to register to vote for the Nov. 4 election.
Monday, Oct. 6, 10 p.m.: Nightly I-35 full closures begin downtown.
Tuesday, Oct. 7, 9 a.m.: Travis County Commissioners Court meeting.
Thursday, Oct. 9, 10 a.m.: Austin City Council meeting.
Oct. 20 - 31: Early voting period for the November election.
Nov. 4: Election Day.
Nov. 20: AISD Board of Trustees holds its final vote on the consolidation plan.
