Question 1: How does Austin ISD’s budget deficit compare to other districts?

 

Many school districts have already released projections of their budget deficits before full budget drafts come out over the next few weeks.

 

Compared to the four largest districts in Texas, Austin’s budget deficit is the largest per student. 

 

School District	Projected Deficit	Deficit Per Student
Austin	$117 million	$1,606
Northside	$100 million	$974
Dallas	$127 million	$910
Cypress-Fairbanks	$50 million	$424
Houston	$33 million	$174

Houston is on the low-end because they dug into their reserve funds last year and had a deficit of $250 million, so they’re spending less next year.

 

 

Question 2: Governor Abbott usually blames the problem on overspending at the local level. What examples have we seen of that?

 

He’s at least partially correct.

 

We just talked a few weeks ago about how Austin spent $447 million paying outside vendors last year, an increase of more than $100 million compared to 2023.

 

 

The Center Square reported that from 2014 to 2023, Dallas increased its spending per student at a rate 38% higher than inflation.

 

 

Question 3 And the schools usually blame the state for not increasing public school funding for six years. How does that contribute to the budget deficit?

 

Austin probably has the best case to make that argument compared to many other school districts.

 

You see in the news all the time that the state has not increased per student funding for public schools since 2019 (basic allotment) even though inflation has been high. 

 

Between 2019 and 2024, the U.S. saw inflation rise by 22%.

 

In that span, Houston and Dallas school districts increased their payroll by more than 22%. 

 

Austin did not. Payroll only went up 15%.(That’s 2024 data so it doesn’t include the pay raises voters just approved in November.)

 

Northside less than 22%, Cypress-Fairbanks exactly 22%.

 

And there’s other factors the school districts can’t always control. Austin’s saying Travis County property values are expected to drop 9-12%, meaning less property tax revenue for the school. Dallas ISD is worried about losing funding because of high student absence rates this year, which some community activists blame on immigration enforcement officials now being allowed to make arrests at schools.

Question 4: What are the school’s top employees earning while dealing with these budget deficits?

 

We looked at Austin and the four largest school districts in Texas:

 

Superintendent salaries 2024

 

Northside                  John Craft                     $383,000

Houston                      Mike Miles                   $380,000

Dallas                         Suzanne Elizalde        $338,000