Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura has proposed a three-year plan to address the district's $92 million budget deficit. The proposal, presented to the Board of Trustees on November 22, outlines measures aimed at balancing the budget while minimizing impact on classroom experiences.
Key areas such as librarians, counselors, nurses, and planning periods have been excluded from cuts for the upcoming school year. This decision comes as district leaders hope for additional funding in future legislative sessions to avoid more severe reductions.
Kevin Foster, Vice President and District 3 Trustee, commented on the situation: “That saying, ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ one of the things I see, around bus routes, around data management, around portables, is an opportunity to be better, and to be better in a way that our community is going to be really happy with, which is really weird to say at a moment when there’s going to be cuts.”
The district faces challenges due to stagnant school funding over the past five years. Current per-student funding lags $4,000 behind the national average. In response, district leaders are exploring creative solutions for cost reduction and revenue generation.
Potential cost-saving strategies include adjusting magnet and student-share busing by consolidating routes into hubs where students can gather before being transported. Additionally, master scheduling could be streamlined following findings from a Gibson audit that identified inefficiencies in class sizes.
Another consideration involves transitioning from Blend to Google Classroom as part of cost-cutting measures since Google Classroom is already included in existing Google Suite expenses.
To generate revenue, options include renting out Central Office facilities by implementing hybrid work policies and monetizing unused properties through sales or leases. Selling naming rights for district facilities like House Park and Burger Stadium is also under consideration.
Community members are encouraged to review these proposals and provide feedback during meetings scheduled for December 9 and December 14. Both meetings will offer English and Spanish language options.