Metz and AISD

Asked about what she learned during her time as a teacher at Metz Elementary, Lupe Ramos responded:

“I learned about racism because I learned that when we went before the board, things would never go our way...I learned about broken promises… there were lots of broken promises and I learned...  that if you’re in east Austin, not everybody listens to you… we still talk about [the divide] between the east Austin schools and the west Austin schools”

These sentiments reflect the relationship between east Austin schools and AISD that has been marred by AISD's history of racism and segregation. Throughout Metz Elementary's history, this relationship contributed to the neglect of the old school building, the district's failure to deliver on promises for better resources and staffing, and finally, the contentious plan to close Metz Elementary and merge it with Sanchez Elementary. 

The first section will provide a brief history of AISD, focusing on the founding of Metz Elementary and Zavala Elementary and how this past has remained relevant throughout the school's history. The next section will outline desegregation and equity efforts in AISD, mainly bussing and the post-bussing shift to the Priority Schools program. The next section will connect the fight for a new school in the 1990s to the community response to AISD's decision to close Metz in 2019, looking at the relationship between AISD and the Metz and East Austin community during these times. The concluding section will highlight Metz teacher and student advocacy, primarily teacher efforts to bring bilingual education to Metz and AISD, as well as student activism following the César Chavez visit to Metz in 1987.