What we reported

The Austin ISD board of trustees received a draft proposal Dec. 10 of potential suggestions to cut the district’s $30 million spending deficit. The proposal included 91 possible budget reductions over the next three school years, including consolidating under-enrolled campuses, eliminating staff positions and shoring up operational inefficiencies.

Without making reductions, the deficit could deplete the district’s fund reserve by 2021-22, AISD Chief of Business and O perations Nicole Conley Johnson said. The district’s deficit is due to increased recapture payments to the state of Texas and a decrease in district enrollment, she said.

The latest

AISD’s Budget Stabilization Task Force, which was formed over the summer to evaluate options for the district, presented a separate list of suggestions on Jan. 7 that included closing schools, adjusting attendance boundaries and updating the magnet school model. AISD is internally evaluating the options and could take action in the spring.

The district will also look to the 86th session of the Texas Legislature for possible changes to the state’s school finance system.