Austin Independent School District has released its recommended budget for the 2026-2027 school year, including cuts to reduce the $181 million deficit. The cuts will affect over 558 positions.
Superintendent Matias Segura has guaranteed that teachers with state certifications will retain their jobs. However, non-certified teachers will move to different qualifying roles that the district is still working to find. Additionally, 112 qualified teachers will move to different districts, and Austin ISD will eliminate 228 department vacancies.
Austin ISD will also close 11 schools, saving approximately $21 million.
The district is also planning to increase the teacher-student ratio and reduce the amount of teacher planning periods. Educators have already started petitions claiming that the reduced amount of time will not allow them to serve their students effectively, especially when increasing the teacher-student ratio.
Campus librarians serving less than 400 students will be reduced to part-time capacity over the next year, saving $897,000. The district is also reevaluating the system used to determine the number of counselors per school. Elementary schools will now have one counselor; middle schools with greater than 400 students will have two; and high schools will have three. This change is expected to save $2.1 million. The number of assistant principals will also be reduced, saving $1.2 million.
A new transportation model, expected to save $2.4 million, will affect middle and high school students across the entire district. Instead of having individual stops, Austin ISD transportation will utilize a hub system that will ferry students to and from local elementary schools. Late night bus activities will also end, saving an additional $1 million.
District-wide transportation for Montessori, Gus Garcia YMLA, Campbell Elementary, Sadler Means YWKA, and Eastside Early College will end. Students who live more than two miles away will still be able to access district transportation. These transportation cuts will save an estimated $933,000.
Changes to magnet school transportation are yet to be determined, though the district is considering implementing a partial fee where parents pay for their child’s transportation.
Additional cuts have been announced to the Austin ISD Police Department, operations department, and employee benefits. The operations department budget will be reduced by $9.8 million, effectively halting new campus construction and some repairs.
The district’s fiscal retrenchment comes as enrollment recently hit a 30-year low, despite Austin’s perennial status as one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. The district has faced repeated criticism for poor academic outcomes and promoting sexualized content to students.
The district has already laid off 20 percent of its headquarters staff.
The budget will be presented to the board of trustees today, and the board will vote on June 18.
