Effects of school budget cuts highlighted at SXSWedu

Other districts made changes in areas such as transportation by creating a central pickup location, instead of offering door-to-door bus service.

Sanborn praised districts such as Hutto ISD, which licensed its mascot, the Hippos, to raise money.

The group's data revealed that areas most affected by cuts were athletics departments, libraries, student support staff, and teacher and administrative professional development. Another area that was significantly reduced was pre-kindergarten, which saw decreases in programs from full to half-days.

The findings also showed that successful schools have enthusiastic teachers and leaders who make informed decisions based on data, and have overall strong collaborative leadership, Sanborn said

Sanborn said the organization's solutions to the issues are to increase and equalize funding for schools to give children at all public schools the same educational opportunities.

Other proposed solutions include improvements to pre-K programs by implementing a maximum class size and serving meals during the day.