Isn’t there a financial emergency that necessitates immediate cuts?

No. AISD is currently experiencing a crisis of academics, not finances. 

The Texas Education Agency is threatening to take over AISD due to our 15 campuses that have received at least three F accountability ratings. 

While the superintendent has suggested that TEA could also take over AISD due to financial insolvency, Austin has maintained a “superior” A rating on TEA's FIRST official financial assessment for the last 23 years in a row. As long as Austin has a plan in place to ensure that cash on hand doesn't run out, AISD is not at risk of a TEA takeover due to finances. But if we don't fix our academics right away, we are.

Isn’t the money about to run out RIGHT NOW?

No. While AISD faces serious financial challenges caused by painfully by insufficient funding from the state, AISD has numerous options to fund a “stop-gap” measure to allow this process more time. 

To start, AISD should sell the campuses sold in 2019. While the students at Brook, Metz, Sims, and Pease were asked to sacrifice for the good of the district (due to a financial emergency!) these four campuses remain unsold. Brook is particularly underutilized and should be sold immediately. 

Numerous other campuses, like Metz and many others, have large tracts of extra undeveloped, road-fronting land that could be sold off without affecting students in any way. Additional plots of land owned by AISD with empty, non or underutilized land include the AISD Transportation Southeast Transportation Base, the Storage Warehouse (16 acres in central Austin), and excess, highway fronting land at Burger Stadium and the adjacent bus parking lot.

With a few quick land sales of campuses that were already designated financial cuts for AISD six years ago, as well as further cuts and hiring freezes at the central office, AISD can cover expenses until next year while it works on a better financial plan that will solve, not mask, the issue.

Let’s Get It Right AISD is working on a full financial plan to be released soon.