EDUCATION
School stories to follow
2 0 2 2 A N N U A L C O M M U N I T Y G U I D E
OTHER STORIES TO FOLLOW IN 2022 All COVID-19 student-related absences to be forgiven
TOP STORIES TO WATCH IN 2022
Austin ISD faces uphill battle for balanced budget BY DARCY SPRAGUE
Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde said Jan. 13 that the district will forgive all absences related to COVID-19. While the district is concerned about the e ect of absences on students’ learning outcomes and on Austin ISD’s funding from the state, Elizalde said the district will not penalize absences. “The real question should be how we support students while they’re home,” Elizalde said. STAYING HOME AISD is excusing all COVID-19- related absences, but some worry about the e ect missing class will have for students and the district.
BREAKING EVEN Austin ISD has passed budgets with de cits in the past. However, o cials have stated the goal is to pass a balanced budget this year, as the fund balance is too low to dip into without jeopardizing AISD’s nancial rating.
WHERE CURIOS I TY SPARKS D I S CO V E R Y One of the biggest revenue issues the district faces is declining enrollment. The number of students attending AISD has decreased since 2012 because of competition with charter schools and families being pushed from the city due to lack of a ordability, and more recently COVID-19, according to district documents and Elizalde. AUSTIN ISD Over the next six months, Austin ISD will craft its scal year 2022-23 budget on the heels of an antici- pated $66 million shortfall in FY 2021-22. The district is going into the process facing multiple constraints. Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde has stated teachers will not be laid o ; enrollment is declining; and the district wants to pass a balanced budget instead of dipping into its fund balance. The budgetary process kicks o in January, and the board will vote to approve the budget— which runs from fall 2022 to spring 2023—in June. “It’s a pretty gloomy outlook, and that’s true nationwide,” said Amy Campbell, the human resources director of the Texas Association of School Boards, which advises districts. This year, there is even more pressure than normal to o er competitive wages, Campbell said. In November, Elizalde said she will push for pay raises, and the money would come from cuts at the central o ce.
DEFICIT
SURPLUS
KEY
Proposed
Actual
$21,266,911
$3,873,274
2018-19
$3,083,488
$19,846,463
2019-20
$47,554,870
$32,462,630
2020-21
$45 IN STATE REVENUE is lost by the district each time a student misses a day. 2 3 DAYS OF CLASS are needed to make up each day of missed learning.
SOURCE: AUSTIN ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Amanda Brownson, associate executive director of policy and research for Texas Association of School Business O - cials, said districts have to nd a way to reliably calculate revenue, expenditures and sta ng needs as COVID-19 brings continued uncertainty. “Kids showing up every day has the biggest impact on the budget,” Brownson said. “Districts need to bring some stability to the budget, the kids’ lives, to schools.”
SOURCE: AUSTIN ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
World-class, tuition-free public charter schools
Grades K–2 1501 Dartmouth Ave Grades 3–7 1605 Kramer Lane
Apply now for the 2022–23 school year
enroll BASIS TX.com
21
CENTRAL AUSTIN EDITION • JANUARY 2022
Powered by FlippingBook