Hello families,
Hope you are having a great week!
Reminder: There will be no school next week for Fall Break. Enjoy the time off and remember that school resumes Dec. 2. If you're planning to take an extended break, please be sure to notify your school administrators.
Austin ISD is gearing up for Inclusive Schools Week and Special Education Staff Appreciation Week, Dec. 2-64! This year's Inclusive School Week theme is “Every Voice Matters” and emphasizes the importance of recognizing each individual's unique perspective in school communities.
The African American Heritage Award nominations are now open!
This is your chance to recognize an outstanding individual, business, or organization for their contributions to supporting public education. If you know someone deserving of this honor, submit your nomination by the Jan. 10 deadline.
Now, let's get started with this edition...
1 Big Thing: District releases draft budget reduction plan that safeguards, librarians, counselors, nurses, planning periods
Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura presented a three-year proposal to the Board of Trustees Nov. 22, outlining options to balance the budget. Now it’s the community’s turn to weigh in.
Why it matters: District leaders must find $92 million to eliminate the budget deficit while keeping cuts farthest from the classroom and preserving the student experience.
Of Note: Options previously discussed such as librarians, counselors, nurses and planning periods are off the table — at least for the upcoming school year.
What they’re saying: “That saying, ‘necessity is the mother of invention,’ one of the things I see, around bus routes, around data management, around portables, is an opportunity to be better, and to be better in a way that our community is going to be really happy with, which is really weird to say at a moment when there’s going to be cuts,” said Vice President and District 3 Trustee Kevin Foster.
How we got here: School funding hasn’t increased in five years and remains $4,000 behind the national average for per-student funding. District leaders, along with the Community Budget Committee, are thinking creatively to find ways to cut spending or bring in revenue.
Below, we’ll dive into some ideas the district is weighing as options.
All options have gone through an equity evaluation to consider the impact on historically underserved students.
Potential reductions include vacancy savings and contract evaluations, as well as the following strategies:
Magnet and student-share busing: Currently students can be bused across the district to get certain programming. However, there are some instances when fewer than three students are riding these buses. The district could transition to fewer routes by creating hubs where students can meet and be transported to programs.
Master scheduling: This consideration is coming out of the Gibson audit, which reviewed our spending and efficiencies districtwide. The audit found that 1,600 out of our 5,500 teachers in core instruction have fewer than 15 students. While that may be needed for equitable outcomes in some instances, as a district, master scheduling could be streamlined to reduce costs while protecting student outcomes.
Shift from Blend to Google Classroom: Google Classroom is included in the cost of the Google Suite, so this could be a potential savings opportunity. However, it would require staff who rely on Blend to rebuild their curriculum in Google Classroom.
Potential revenue includes:
Central Office facility rental: By creating a hybrid work policy for Central Office employees, portions of the Central Office and other facilities could be freed up to bring in revenue from rental fees.
Property monetization: District leaders could move to either sell or lease current properties not being used by the district for teaching and learning. This includes Rosedale, which was recently identified as a candidate for sale or lease after a lengthy repurposing process. Brooke and Metz are other facilities that could be considered for monetization in the future.
Selling naming rights: Districtwide facilities, including House Park and Burger Stadium could feature a branded name. Think Q2 Stadium or the HEB Center.
What’s next: Review the details in the board presentation and mark your calendars for the following dates to give feedback:
6–7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9 via Zoom
11 a.m.–noon, Saturday, Dec. 14 via Zoom.
Both meetings will be available in English and Spanish.
‘All for Lunch’ non-profit clears current lunch debt
In an effort to ensure students have access to a healthy meal, All for Lunch, has paid off the $16,032 lunch debt balance districtwide.
Why it matters: Families will have one less thing to worry about heading into the holiday season while students still enjoy healthy, nourishing meals at school.
Background: For the 2024–25 school year, 77 Austin ISD schools qualify to provide free meals for all students through a federally funded program. · The 39 remaining Austin ISD campuses work with families to ensure they apply for free or reduced-price meals to help prevent debt.
What’s next: Lunch for All, Inc has created a dedicated Austin ISD fundraising page.
How to get resources, support over fall break
We recognize many families rely on Austin ISD to access to healthy meals and other services. Thankfully we have several partners who are here to support our community while we’re on break:
Don't hesitate to reach out and ensure your family has what they need over the Fall Break.
Attendance matters, for more information check this link.
Mark your Calendar
Austin ISD In the News
Any big plans for this Fall Break? I don’t have big plans. This time I’m not flying to see my family so I’ll stay to catch up on some sleep.
And if you don’t have plans for this weekend?! Don’t forget The Annual Austin Pow Wow is happening Saturday at the Travis County Expo Center. It is a great way to learn more about the Native American culture and heritage — everyone is welcome.
Also, check out this beautiful video of Austin ISD Native American students sharing their voices.
If you celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you spend it with your loved ones and eat yummy food. I’m grateful to be part of the Austin ISD community!
Have a great week, please be safe and see you back in December!
Nayeli 💛
For questions or comments please email me at nayeli.santoyoflores@austinisd.org.
For languages other than English and Spanish, we use an AI-powered translation tool. As a result, there may be some contextual inaccuracies or other errors. We apologize for this. Please email translation@austinisd.org if you are in need of clarification. To change your preferred correspondence language, contact your school's front office.
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