As Austin ISD leaders prepare to discuss a preliminary budget Thursday, educators, families and staff are bracing for a question district officials have not fully answered: Whose jobs will be cut?
A full draft budget expected earlier this month has yet to be released. Instead, Superintendent Matias Segura announced last week a two-year proposal that could affect more than 200 full-time positions and reshape campuses through larger class sizes, reduced planning time for some teachers and changes to bilingual and special education stipends.
The proposed reductions come as Austin ISD faces a growing budget deficit exacerbated by steep enrollment losses and inflation-driven increases to fixed costs that could reach $181 million if no action is taken. Austin ISD board members will review a preliminary budget and public input over the next few weeks before approving a final budget in June. The tension for educators and families is not just how deep the cuts will go, but where they will land. District leaders have outlined broad categories for reductions while leaving many campus-level details unresolved.
Here is what we know so far and what community leaders say remains a concern as Austin ISD works to balance the budget.
How Austin ISD got here
Last June, Austin ISD leaders approved a budget with a deficit now predicted to reach $30 million more than originally anticipated. District leaders have attributed the larger shortfall to enrollment decline, rising costs and insufficient state funding. However, last year’s budget continued a years-long trend of deficits in the tens of millions. With the budget’s approval last year, board members also voted to implement school closures as a cost saving measure. As a result of the November vote, 10 campuses will shutter by the end of this school year. While Segura has said no more closures are coming before a districtwide redrawing of boundaries this fall, questions remain about how redistributing students could affect staffing, resources and enrollment patterns across the district.
Earlier this year, district leaders said cuts would not reach into the classroom. In April, Segura announced protecting classrooms was no longer feasible given the vast majority of the budget goes toward salaries. Community members have since rallied in support of teacher positions, planning time and campus support staff while urging district leaders to cut central office positions first. (Austin ISD cut more than 20% of central office positions last year.)
Budget details released last week outlined the district’s strategy, but the specifics of which schools will be affected and which positions could disappear remains unclear. Meanwhile, the district’s most-recent announcement safeguarded roles such as librarians and counselors following community backlash.
What we know about the proposed cuts
In the first round of proposed cuts released last week, Segura said more than 200 full-time positions could be cut, but it remains unclear which positions would be affected and how many are currently filled. (District leaders have noted there are nearly 450 campus-level vacancies, and many of the eliminated positions may already be vacant.)
The preliminary breakdown of positions shared last week included 85 positions at elementary schools, 51 for middle schools and 79 for high schools, though those numbers could change. The proposal also signaled additional central office cuts, as well as reductions to non-staffing budgets.
Librarians and counselors, however, will be protected from cuts, according to Segura’s announcement. The move follows weeks of testimony from librarians and community members pushing to preserve those positions.
“One of the things I know as a former librarian is the ways libraries also help teachers, not just students,” said Carolyn Foote, a retired librarian and current volunteer. “When there are difficult budget environments, there are ways libraries can amplify literacy work, science research, projects or providing space for tutoring. I am glad the district recognized that having the whole campus being served by this position is important to literacy efforts.”
The proposal also outlined a tiered approach to bilingual and special education stipends. Special education stipend amounts range from $3,000 to $7,000 depending on title, whether the position serves students directly, and qualifications. Bilingual stipends range from $1,500 to $7,000 depending on certifications, Bilingual Proficiency Test scores and type of position.
Campus-level changes would phase in over the next two school years, with campuses divided into four tiers. Those with state-mandated improvement plans and those with D or F ratings under the state’s academic accountability system represent the first two tiers and are likely to see little changes.
Elementary campuses with passing ratings would see larger class sizes next year, while teachers at those campuses would move to a single planning period the following year. At some middle and high school campuses, teachers of non-foundational courses would teach seven of eight periods next year, with the district planning to expand the model to all courses the following year.
Educators still want answers
Ken Zarifis, president of employee union Education Austin, said it remains unclear how many employees could lose jobs and which positions will be most affected, though he believes the cuts may be smaller than originally feared. He said it appears the district is trying to limit how many people are affected. Not having exact numbers and delays getting that information has been frustrating, he said, but educators would rather wait if it means fewer staff cuts.
While state funding has not kept pace with the district’s needs, Zarifis said Austin ISD must be held accountable for how it handles the cuts.
“While the state is at fault and the state is wrong for this, we have to hold the district accountable for cutting people out of there,” Zarifis said.
One of the union’s priorities is minimizing disruptions to teacher planning time. Other unanswered questions include possible impacts to athletics, fine arts, other stipends, health services, student support contracts, the Austin ISD Police Department, technology department, transportation services and staff in the superintendent’s office.
The Bigger Picture
Austin ISD leaders have cited the loss of more than 3,000 students as a primary reason for the district’s growing deficit. But Austin is not alone. According to the nonprofit Texas 2036, the state lost more than 76,000 students this year, the largest drop in enrollment in modern state history outside the pandemic.
In Texas, school funding is largely tied to student attendance, meaning enrollment declines can quickly destabilize district budgets. Max Rombado, legislative director for advocacy organization Raise Your Hand Texas, said districts across Texas are facing rising costs alongside a state funding formula that has not kept pace with inflation.
“Oftentimes, that results in decisions like cutting programs, letting staff go and closing schools as we have been seeing across the state,” Rombado said.
