After weeks of tinkering, Austin Independent School District’s Board of Trustees approved an $887 million operating budget for the upcoming school year.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Budget Includes $205 Million in Cuts
The district was facing a possible deficit of $181 million during budget discussions. But with millions of cuts and possible property sales, the district should have a balanced budget going into the 2026-27 school year.
The budget includes cutting a total of 580 positions, decreasing the district’s number of full-time employees from 10,392 to roughly 9,750. More than 360 staffers whose positions were cut have already found new roles within the district, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
The district is also discontinuing bus routes for several of its schools and the Alternative Learning Center to help the budget. Late activity buses at middle and high schools are also being discontinued.
Classroom sizes will increase, the number of teacher planning days at some campuses will be reduced, the district is decreasing how much it contributes to staff health benefits, and some of the central office staff will have their salaries decreased by 2%.
Librarians Were Saved
The new budget ensures that each AISD campus will have at least one full-time librarian next year. This comes after outrage over a proposal that would have schools share librarians.
Counselors were also at risk during discussions, but the final budget gives every school a counselor. However, smaller campuses may end up with part-time assistant principals.
The District Is Expecting $60 Million in Revenue
AISD closed 10 schools this year in an effort to bring down its budget deficit. What happens to those campuses next is up to the district — it can repurpose them or sell them off.
The district is expecting to make $60 million by the end of the next fiscal year from selling some of the closed campuses. If the district succeeds, it will have a balanced budget.
