The Austin Independent School District is facing a budget deficit of $181 million dollars for next school year. That\u2019s according to the preliminary budget draft presented at a work session with board members on Tuesday night. The draft is an initial version of the budget used to guide decision making.<\/p>\n
Superintendent Matias Segura said to reduce the budget deficit, the district will have to make sacrifices, including some that will directly impact students, like teacher cuts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re no longer at a point where we can protect all things,\u201d Segura said. \u201cThe cuts are going to impact our ability to serve our students in a way we see best.\u201d<\/p>\n
Segura and AISD\u2019s Chief Financial Officer Katrina Montgomery, explained four different scenarios involving budget cuts. In three of them, the district could end up with a balanced budget after applying \u201cstrategies\u201d that would help save $132 million.<\/p>\n
The proposed cuts include saving $24.5 million with \u201cstaffing adjustments\u201d on school campuses, including middle schools and elementary schools. The biggest savings \u2014 nearly $41 million \u2014 could come from staffing reductions at department levels.<\/p>\n
It is still unclear how many teachers and staff would be affected by these cuts. Segura said staff would be told about possible impacts by May 7.<\/p>\n
Other campus cuts could include reducing the number of campus monitors at middle schools; adjusting the number of nurses in campuses and transitioning librarians into support roles, a move that would impact how students access libraries.<\/p>\n
The district could also save $23 million by eliminating current vacant positions.<\/p>\n
Montgomery explained that even with those cuts, the district might have to ask for a short-term loan to cover operational expenses.<\/p>\n
The proposed cuts come less than a year after the district laid off 20% of its central office staff<\/a> to reduce the current 2025-2026 budget deficit. The AISD board of trustees also voted last November to close 10 schools<\/a> to help save $21 million.<\/p>\n Despite those cuts, the 2025-2026 budget deficit has grown from $19 million to $49 million<\/a> over the year, mainly because of property sales that were expected but did not materialize.<\/p>\n