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Austin ISD approves a $ 1.78 billion budget. (Nicholas Cicale / Community Impact Newspaper)
The Austin ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved the $ 1.78 billion budget for fiscal year 2021-22 on June 24.
The budget consists of $ 1.58 billion for the general fund, $ 35.7 million for the food service fund, and $ 162.5 million for the debt service fund. Of the money that makes up the general fund, $ 709.4 million will be paid to the state for the reconquest. Recapture, often referred to as Robin Hood, means schools must pay a certain amount of their property tax revenue to the state in order to help all school districts spend the same amount of money per child. Current recovery for this fiscal year is $ 675 million, Interim CFO George Gogonas said during a presentation.
The largest spending of the general fund is expected to be on recovery and $ 516.13 million on tuition, which is 45% and 33% of the general fund, respectively. AISD cannot confirm the tax rate until August.
All AISD employees receive a $ 1,000 scholarship regardless of any incentive such as B. Achieving an enrollment goal, said Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde. After signing an agreement with Education Austin, AISD replaced the previously recommended 1% raise with a retrospective 2% mid-salary increase when an enrollment target was met. This raise will not have an impact on employee insurance costs, Elizalde said.
“That means some people get a little more than 2% and others less,” said Elizalde. “It depends on what position you hold and how much you earn, but it will apply to all employees.”
Over 20 public comments were broadcast during the public hearing, consisting mostly of AISD teachers and staff asking for a raise. AISD officials have raised concerns that they will be evicted from the district because their wages are insufficient to cover the rising cost of living in Austin. Others cited the extreme harshness of the transition to virtual teaching during the pandemic as another factor. Many of her peers have already had to move to other counties and cities to earn more secure wages, Megan Kite, the librarian at Pleasant Hill Elementary School, said in her public comment.
“A colleague of mine decided to move to San Antonio this year,” said Kite. “He can afford a three bedroom home for less than $ 200,000 and will make over $ 10,000 more from the start. I’m now here in Austin and have to move in with my sister because I can’t afford the rising rent with my current salary. Forget about buying a house. “
AISD will set up a joint committee with Education Austin to set long-term goals to create more competitive and livable salaries for staff, especially teachers, Elizalde said.
“The committee will give us plenty of ideas to help us work towards a balanced budget,” said Elizalde. “We need to achieve a balanced budget in order to provide teachers’ salaries even remotely comparable to the average salaries in other districts. I know the board wants me to solve this today, but I think it will be at least two years, definitely in three. “
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