AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Independent School District (AISD) is aiming to sell two school properties to lower its $19.7 million budget deficit. This comes mere weeks after their board of trustees approved a consolidation plan to close 10 campuses on Nov. 20 because of financial strain.
The Rosedale School and Brooke Elementary School are up for sale, both of which have gone unused as campuses for several years. The Rosedale campus served special education students until 2022, and the Brooke campus has been closed since 2019.
The properties must sell by the end of this fiscal year to avoid skyrocketing the deficit, which district representatives predicted would rise to $65 million without these sales.
The district established a buyer for the old Rosedale School in August: a residential developer. But they’re still completing that sale, due to concerns from residents living in the surrounding neighborhood.
Selling the old Brooke campus will displace several nonprofit businesses currently working in the building.
District officials wrote in a November letter that the decision to sell the Brooke campus is “a necessary step to protect the district’s ability to fulfill its mission.”