Beginning in 2027, Austin Independent School District (AISD) will shift students and staff in grades 6-12 to a new platform to access their class resources: Google Classroom. While AISD will continue to provide and support the existing platform (BLEND) through the 2026-2027 school year, news about the shift is already creating a buzz among students and teachers. 

According to an internal communication, as a preliminary step to the eventual transition, the district has granted all district staff access to Google Classroom so that they have the opportunity to create sample classes and explore the features of the program.

BLEND, also known as Canvas, has been in place for several years. High school students who have been in AISD since middle school have become accustomed to the platform, and rely on it to access class calendars, resources, assignments and due dates. Many students believe the shift will have negative effects. According to a recent Instagram poll on MacJournalism, all 21 respondents felt that the plan to transition to Google Classroom would not be beneficial to students. 

Junior Isadora Lang feels that the transition could have challenges for both students and teachers.

“BLEND is an expensive platform, but we know how to use it, and switching to another platform would be difficult,” Lang said. “The transition wouldn’t just be a logistical challenge—it would also be hard on both students and teachers. Everyone is already familiar with BLEND, so introducing a new platform would mean retraining staff and reorienting students.”

While limited information has been made publicly available, the AISD website offers some insights into the rationale for the shift. According to the website, “school funding hasn’t increased in five years and remains $4,000 behind the national average for per-student funding. District leaders, along with the Community Budget Committee, are thinking creatively to find ways to cut spending or bring in revenue. AISD leaders must find $92 million to eliminate the budget deficit while keeping cuts farthest from the classroom and preserving the student experience.” 

To balance the AISD budget, Superintendent Matias Segura presented a three-year proposal to the Board of Trustees on Nov. 22. Among several options outlined was the shift from BLEND to Google Classroom. According to the AISD website, “Google Classroom is included in the cost of the Google Suite, so this could be a potential savings opportunity. However, it would require staff who rely on BLEND to rebuild their curriculum in Google Classroom.”

Teachers have already expressed concern about the shift. Amy Smith, who teaches advanced English and AP Literature and Composition at McCallum, feels that Google Classroom is not an adequate replacement for BLEND for many reasons.

“While it may be a basic tool for sharing assignments and messages, it lacks the infrastructure to be a Learning Management System,” Smith said. “It does not allow for curriculum organization or consistent and organized feedback delivery that is vital for student growth.”

There is also concern about the substantial time investment for teachers, which may create unwanted ripple effects for already stressed teachers. Smith acknowledges the teacher retention concern in AISD and feels the discontinuation of BLEND could have an effect on it. 

“Teachers are under significant pressure,” Smith said. “Having to completely rebuild courses from the ground up—especially without the tools you asked us to learn and which we now rely upon—would make the job even harder.”

Perhaps one of the most significant impacts, however, may be on students who could lose out on valuable college preparation. 

“Many of our seniors will be attending college next year, where they will be using Canvas, and they will be expected to know how to navigate this type of program,” Smith said. “Other high school students will enter college with these skills, while AISD students will be behind.”

The shift to Google Classroom was one of several proposed strategies to balance the AISD budget. McCallum Principal Andy Baxa recognizes the significant time commitment that teachers have invested into the current BLEND platform and intends to keep staff updated as details continue to take shape.

“This is definitely a hot topic among teachers,” Baxa said. Our teachers have invested a lot of time and energy into making BLEND work for their classes and will need time to transition to a new system.”