The gist
The AISD community is invited to three virtual conversations with district officials this August to discuss a potential voter-approval tax rate election, or VATRE. The following meetings will be an opportunity to provide insight:
- Aug. 6, noon, for all community members
- Aug. 7, 5:30 p.m., for AISD staff only
- Aug. 7, 7 p.m., for all community members
What’s happening
The AISD board of trustees approved the FY 2024-25 operating budget of $953.99 million June 20, facing a shortfall of $78 million.
If approved, officials predict a VATRE would generate $171 million in additional revenue for the district under a proposed tax rate of $0.9505 per $100 valuation. This would be a $34-per-month increase to the average homeowner.
A VATRE would also allow the adjustment of employee pay to compare with other districts and a $0.25-per-hour increase for hourly employees.
Recapture payments, when the state takes local property tax dollars from a district to redistribute to other public school districts, would increase with a VATRE from an estimated $691 million to $821 million.
Going forward
Other cost savings are under consideration, including increasing the counselor-to-student ratio, eliminating summer school and even selling or monetizing the district’s central office.
“The path forward is going to be very difficult without these types of considerations,” AISD Superintendent Matias Segura said at a board meeting July 23.
District officials must call for a tax rate election by Aug. 19, per election filing deadlines for the Nov. 5 election. The board would make a decision during a voting meeting Aug. 15.
Additionally, four seats on the board of trustees are up for election in November.
The first day of classes for the 2024-25 school year is Aug. 20.
For more information, visit www.austinisd.org.
