News Story

Last week we shared high-level details on the Gibson Audit , which looked at Austin ISD spending and cost-savings opportunities. We're back to dig into the report more and outline how we're using the audit moving forward.

Why it matters : As the district faces a $110 million deficit, this independent audit helped reinforce the work already underway.

What you need to know : While audits usually have findings or recommendations, this audit intentionally provided opportunities for the district to consider. These opportunities include high-level math that does not consider the intricate details to implement the ideas.

• Because of that, the cost-savings figures, totaling $63.1 million, should be taken with a grain of salt since more work is needed to find more accurate savings figures associated with each option.

The details : School consolidations is the top cost-savings opportunity outlined in the audit. As part of their calculation, the audit looked at 49 schools with a population less than 500 students for an elementary school and 750 for a middle school, however, those benchmarks were chosen arbitrarily.

• Closing 49 schools is not a realistic number or standard for the district.
• Instead, the district will take the audit's findings and examine how a school closure would reduce expenditures and the budget deficit.
• Other options include disposal of portables across the district, cost recovery from nutrition services, optimizing master scheduling and reducing senior management positions.

What they're saying : “All the other opportunities besides school consolidation are things we've worked on and progressed already,” Superintendent Matias Segura said. “We have put a considerable amount of time and energy into how to (implement these cost-savings) and how to do it well.”

What's next : District leaders will continue working to balance the budget and explore cost-savings options. For consolidations, leaders will work with the community to develop a process and tool to assess which campuses may be candidates for consolidations and the values ​​that will drive those decisions.

• We'll continue following budget processes and keep you in the loop along the way.

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Audit Highlights Cost-Saving Opportunities Amid $110 Million Budget Shortfall

Last week, we shared a high-level of detail about the Gibson audit , which analyzed Austin ISD’s spending and cost-saving opportunities. We’re back to dive deeper into the report and describe how we’re using the audit to move forward.

Why It Matters : With the district facing a $100 million shortfall, this independent audit helped reinforce the work already underway.

What You Should Know : While audits typically have findings or recommendations, this audit intentionally provided opportunities for the district to consider. These opportunities include higher-level math that doesn’t consider the complex details when implementing ideas.

• Therefore, the cost savings figures, which total $63.1 million, should be taken with caution, as more work is needed to find more precise savings figures for each option.

The Details : School consolidations are the primary cost-saving opportunity outlined in the audit. As part of its calculations, the audit analyzed 49 schools with fewer than 500 students at the elementary level and 750 at the secondary level, but those benchmarks were chosen arbitrarily.

• Closing 49 schools is not a realistic number or standard for the district.
• Instead, the district will take the audit findings and examine how a school closure would reduce expenses and the budget deficit.
• Other options include scrapping portable buildings across the district, recovering nutrition services costs, streamlining master schedules, and reducing high-ranking administrative positions.

What they're saying : "All the other opportunities other than school consolidation are things we've been working on and are already in progress," said Superintendent Matias Segura. "We've invested a considerable amount of

time and energy on how (to implement these cost savings) and how to do it well."

What's next? District leaders will continue working to balance the budget and explore cost-saving options. Regarding consolidations, leaders will work with the community to create a process and tool to evaluate which schools might be candidates for consolidations and the values ​​that will guide those decisions.

• We will continue to monitor the budget process and keep you informed throughout.