Lee esta historia en español. The Austin Independent School District is sending more taxpayer dollars than any other school system to the state’s so-called recapture program, a new study finds. The decades-old system, known commonly as Robin Hood, is meant to balance resources among less property-wealthy school districts, with the goal of leveling out the per-student spending […]
AISD
Austin’s largest school district, AISD is the Austin Independent School District.
Posted inAISD
Austin ISD adds two Fridays off this semester to provide ‘stress relief’ to staff amid omicron wave
Lee esta historia en español. The Austin Independent School District is adding two three-day weekends to the spring semester to give teachers a break as the omicron Covid-19 wave has stretched campuses thin. Students will now have two extra Fridays off: Feb. 11 and March 4. Teachers and campus-based staff will still be paid. The […]
Posted inAISD
Austin ISD will make cuts at Central Office instead of reducing class periods at middle and high schools
The Austin Independent School District said it will not reduce the number of class periods at the middle and high school levels next year – a proposal floated as a way to save money. “I wanted to lower everyone’s anxiety and let everyone know before the winter break that we would be maintaining an eight-period, A/B […]
Posted inEnvironment
City partners up to monitor particulate matter in the air
Austin has begun working to better monitor the quality of its air. The Clean Air Force of Central Texas is working in partnership with the city of Austin’s Office of Sustainability and the Austin Independent School District to install PurpleAir monitors – a low-cost device that measures particulate matter in the air – in public […]
Posted inAISD
Low enrollment might force Austin ISD to make budget cuts
After seeing a continued dip in enrollment, Austin ISD is asking for feedback on its budget for next school year, which will likely include cuts. School districts get money from the state based on how many students are enrolled; when fewer students enroll in a district, the district gets less money. AISD lost around $60 […]
Posted inAISD
Austin ISD didn’t increase enrollment this year, meaning staff won’t get annual raises
The Austin Independent School District didn’t meet its enrollment goals for this school year, according to data collected for the state in October. The school district lost thousands of students last school year during the Covid-19 pandemic and was hoping to see 77,331 students enrolled in AISD schools this year. Instead, there are 74,727 students. […]
Posted inAISD
Mask mandate was the right decision to keep students safe, Austin ISD superintendent says
State leaders made it hard to keep students safe this school year, Austin ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde said Tuesday during her state of the district address. Elizalde said she wasn’t expecting Gov. Greg Abbott or Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath to mandate masks, but she was “simply having faith” that they would recognize local control. […]
Posted inBudget
AISD sets lowest tax rate in 20 years, prepares for challenges ahead
Austin Independent School District’s Board of Trustees ended this week’s voting meeting on a bold note, adopting the lowest property tax rate the district has seen in 20 years. In the 2022 fiscal year, taxpayers will pay $1.0617 per $100 in property value toward AISD’s budget, a reduction from last year’s rate by 4 cents. […]
Posted inPreservation
East Austin stadium celebrated by Black community nominated for national historic status
At first glance, Yellow Jacket Stadium feels a bit unassuming. Visitors see a track, a football field, a few sets of bleachers, and a parking lot with room for only a handful of vehicles. Unlike other athletic sites like Burger Stadium or House Park, Yellow Jacket doesn’t sit right off the highway but in the […]
Posted inAISD
AISD requires masks for all, despite Abbott’s order
Facing spiking Covid cases and a fast-approaching fall semester, the Austin Independent School District has made the decision to require face masks in defiance of an executive order issued by Gov. Greg Abbott. “I am responsible for the safety, the heath and welfare, of each and every one of our students and our staff,” Superintendent […]
Posted inAISD
AISD brainstorms ways to increase parent engagement
Austin Independent School District’s annual survey, sent out January through March 2021, was designed to gather feedback from parents and guardians about various topics at their children’s schools. This year’s survey focused on measuring whether parents feel their involvement is welcomed by campus administrators, counselors and teachers. While the large majority of parents who filled out […]
Posted inAISD
Austin ISD lost thousands of students during the pandemic. It’s going door to door to bring them back.
Fifty Austin ISD staff members gather outside Mendez Middle School in Southeast Austin on Saturday, fueling up for the day with breakfast tacos and coffee. The group is made up of central office staff, teachers and volunteers. The plan is to walk around Dove Springs and talk to residents with school-aged children about enrolling in […]