AISD Task Force: On the Money

Nicole Conley Johnson in 2011 (Photo by John Anderson)

A task force charged with finding creative solutions to stabilize the Austin Inde­pen­dent School District's ballooning budget met for the first time on Monday night. The district's 2018 budget (which passed June 18) is expected to extract $29 million from the district's reserve funds. With $20 million of that fund already allocated for other needs, district officials expect the savings account to dip to $210 million after 2018. AISD CFO Nicole Conley Johnson said the deficit is expected to double by the 2019-20 school year, at which point it would no longer be feasible to continue drawing from the reserve funds.

District officials point to the state's recapture financing system, Austin's rising property values, and decreases in student enrollment as the primary culprits for the continued budget deficits. To shore up reserves, the 31-person task force, composed of parents, students, AISD staff, campus administrators and faculty, and other community members, will explore a variety of solutions to the budget shortfall through the summer. Come fall, they'll present their ideas to Superintendent Paul Cruz, who will then refer some of them to the board of trustees for a vote. The task force will target the 2020 school year for any implementation, but Conley Johnson said some proposals could be implemented as soon as the 2018 school year, should the board push to make that happen. She said the task force would consider a "combination of solutions" including alternative revenue sources, such as selling or leasing land owned by the district, improving the "effectiveness and efficiency" of district programs, and partnering with local service providers to "extend and expand" current programs.

Conley Johnson acknowledged that under the state's current school finance system, the district has a tough road ahead, even if the task force comes back with several cost-saving measures. "It's going to be difficult to overcome the lag and inaction at the state level," she said. "A lot of revenue is siphoned out of the community, and we're going to have to find really creative ways to bring more revenue into the district."

The task force has three more meetings on the calendar, but more could be added should the need arise. All are open to the public, and the next is set for July 16.