News Story

The Board of Trustees met July 23 for an in-depth conversation on long-term budget planning and the possibility of a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election to invest in our teachers and staff.

Why it matters: Our aim is to assure voters that we’ve considered every opportunity to reduce costs before asking taxpayers for additional funds to continue providing a stellar educational experience for our students.

The details: District leaders presented a comprehensive list of expenditures that the district is not legally obligated to fund, which means they could be under consideration for future cuts.

• Superintendent Matias Segura emphasized that the list reflects many of the things the district does because they align with the values of Austin ISD — which is why they feels so difficult to consider.

What they’re saying: “These investments that we’ve made over time are there for a reason,” Segura said. “What we wanted to do was to bring them forward, acknowledge that there is going to be a process, we’re going to have conversations, none of these are proposals, none of these are recommendations, they’re none of those things.”

The big picture: The district will rely on a joint committee to provide insight and ideas for how to reduce the $78 million budget deficit over the next two years:

• Given our current situation, we must plan to cut an additional $48 million from the budget, whether voters approve a tax rate election or not.
• We’ll also develop a plan to make additional cuts, in future years, understanding that the amount we have to cut will depend on the outcome of a potential VATRE and the next legislative session.

What’s Next: A timeline was created for the long-range budget planning with some key upcoming dates:

• Finalize selection of the committee — July 31
• Board Information Session — Aug. 8
• Special Board Voting meeting and possible call for tax rate election — Aug. 15
• Deadline for board to call for tax rate election — Aug. 19

Go Deeper_…_with our upcoming tax rate election community conversations.