Northwest Austin Edition | September 2022

EDUCATION BRIEFS

News from Austin Community College, Austin ISD, Pugerville ISD & Round Rock ISD

NUMBER TO KNOW $770 million This is the total bond amount Austin Community College is seeking voter approval on to fund expanding ACC’s workforce training in high- demand elds, such as health care, advanced manufacturing and information technology across 11 existing campuses and creating two new campuses in southeast and southwest Travis County. DISTRICT HIGHLIGHTS PFLUGERVILLE ISD On Aug. 29, Superintendent Doug Killian was named one of ve nalists for the 2022 Superintendent of the Year award, given through the Texas Association of School Boards. ROUND ROCK ISD Starting in the 2022-23 school year, Round Rock ISD partnered with nonprot United Way for Greater Austin to oer an early childhood prekindergarten program for eligible 3-year-olds. Through the program, RRISD and United Way are partnering with a number of local child care centers, allowing 3-year-olds enrolled in those centers to co- enroll in RRISD’s PK3 program. PFLUGERVILLE ISD The board of trustees approved an additional ve days of COVID-19 leave for district employees for the 2022-23 school year at the Aug. 18 meeting, bringing the total to 13 days. AUSTIN, PFLUGERVILLE & ROUND ROCK ISDS The Texas Education Agency released the 2021-22 accountability ratings for school districts. Austin ISD received an overall B rating, scoring 88 out of 100 points; Pugerville ISD received an overall score of 85; and Round Rock ISD earned a B rating, scoring 89 points.

AISD makes progress on addressing discipline disparity

BY ZACH KEEL

DISCIPLINARY RATES AISD data shows Black and special education students are disproportionately disciplined, which includes home or in- school suspension and discretionary removal.

AUSTIN ISD Disciplinary data presented Sept. 1 to the board of trustees shows the district lags in reducing the disproportionate discipline of Black students but is making progress with special education students. While Black students in AISD account for 6.5% of the student population, they made up 17.5% of all disciplinary actions in the district during the 2021-22 school year. The district’s goal was to get the rate down to 15% for 2021-22. Students receiving special education services, 13.4% of the district’s student population, accounted for 29.7%, exceeding the district’s goal of 34% for 2021-22. The district’s long-term goal is to entirely eliminating dis- cipline disparity for both student groups by the end of the 2025-26 school year. From 2020-21 to 2021-22, the discipline rate dropped 0.2 percentage points for Black students and 11.4 percentage points for special education students.

PERCENTAGE OF DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS

Black students 2020-21

Special education students 2020-21

17.7%

41.1%

0.2*

11.4*

2021-22

17.5%

29.7%

Goal

all disciplinary action

15%

34%

*PERCENTAGE POINT DROP

SOURCE: AUSTIN ISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

AISD to adopt lower tax rate

Round Rock ISD approves reduced tax rate of $1.0626

RATE CHANGE The Round Rock ISD adopted a lower tax rate than the previous year, but it will still generate higher taxes due to rising property values.

BY ZACH KEEL

6.26%

AUSTIN ISD The board of trustees will decide at its next regular meet- ing on Sept. 29 whether to adopt a proposed 2022-23 tax rate of $0.9966 per $100 of property value. If authorized, the rate would be the lowest among surrounding Central Texas school districts, AISD Chief Financial Ocer Eduardo Ramos said. The proposed maintenance and operations rate is $0.8836 and the interest and sinking rate is $0.113, which are used for operating costs and debt service, respectively. The overall tax rate is $0.1061, or 9.62% lower than the 2021-22 tax rate.

$1.1336

$1.0626

BY BROOKE SJOBERG

ROUND ROCK ISD The board of trustees adopted a property tax rate of $1.0626 on Sept 15. This total rate is made up of a $0.8546 maintenance and opera- tions, or M&O, rate and a $0.208 debt service, or interest and sinking (I&S) rate, which will fund the district’s budget as well as cover its debt payments. While the proposed rate is $0.071 or 6.26% lower than the rate for the 2021-22 scal year, it will result in a

SOURCE: ROUND ROCK ISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER FY 2021-22 FY 2022-23

3.1% higher tax bill as taxable prop- erty value in RRISD has increased by 8.8%, according to the district. Taxpayers with a home value of $440,000 can expect to see their annual tax bill increase by $141 in 2023 if the proposed rate is ratied, district documents show.

MEETINGS WE COVER

Round Rock ISD board of trustees Meets Oct. 20 at 5:30 p.m. at 300 Lake Creek Drive, Round Rock. 512-464-5000 www.roundrockisd.org Pugerville ISD board of trustees Meets June 16 at 7 p.m. at 1401 W. Pecan St., Pugerville. 512-594-0000 www.psd.net Austin ISD board of trustees Meets Sept. 29 and Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. at 4000 S. I-35, Austin. 512-414-1700 www.austinisd.org Austin Community College board of trustees Meets Oct. 3 at 3 p.m. at 5930 Middle Fiskville Road, Austin. 512-223-7613 www.austincc.edu

Austin ISD enters new scal year

includes stipends based on tenure. Additionally, $8 million will go to raise the district’s minimum hourly wage to $16, from $13.50, and another $1 million will go to increasing the minimum hourly pay for bus drivers to $21 from $17. The district is projecting $1.66 billion in revenue. That includes $1.57 billion from local revenue, $62.64 million in state funds and $19.97 million in federal funds. In the previous year, AISD collected $1.45 billion in local revenue and $64.63 million in state revenue. The district also collected $105.1 million in federal revenue.

Austin ISD income An increasing amount of AISD’s revenue is expected to come from local taxes. Local revenue $1.4B

2020-21 2021-22 2022-23*

BY DARCY SPRAGUE

$1.45B

$1.57B

AUSTIN ISD On Oct. 1, Austin ISD will start the 2022-23 scal year with a $1.68 billion budget. The budget, passed June 23, is centered on retaining teachers and sta, according to the district. The budget provides a $1,000 annual pay bump and 2% raise for teachers based on midpoint salaries, according to district ocials. It also

$1.66B total revenue projected for 2022-23

State revenue $71.45M 2020-21 2021-22 $64.63M $62.64M 2022-23*

Federal revenue 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23*

$43.53M $105.1M $19.97M

*202223 PROJECTED REVENUE

SOURCE: AUSTIN ISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION • SEPTEMBER 2022