Menu

Austin ISD board meeting, May 7, 2026

4 h 32 min · 28 public speakers

School closures ▶ 52:38Budget cuts and layoffs ▶ 4:34Enrollment ▶ 1:27:51Reading and test scores ▶ 4:05:33

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 4 h 32 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
What happened

What happened at this meeting

Austin ISD staff present budget update showing $181 million gross deficit 1:23:38

  • Speakers at public comment raised the proposed 7 out of 8 teaching schedule, special education and bilingual stipends, the Blackshear Elementary closing and a proposal to designate Becker Elementary as surplus property. 20:15
  • District staff presented a budget update for 2026⁠-⁠27 showing a gross deficit of $181 million and final assumptions of a negative 3% property value change, a negative 3% refined ADA change and a 15% unassigned fund balance target. 1:23:38
  • Trustees asked about fund balance projections, planning time and the dollar savings tied to each proposed change. 2:16:31
  • The board recessed to executive session at 10:35 PM, and Lynn Boswell announced the meeting adjourned at 11:23 PM. 4:30:42

Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →

Item by item (11)
  1. Call to order and public comment 0:28
    • Lynn Boswell called the information session to order at 6:05 PM and said 13 people signed up to speak in person and 47 left recorded messages. 0:28
    • Other speakers asked the board to protect special education and bilingual stipends, keep Blackshear Elementary open and remove Becker Elementary from surplus consideration. 7:17
    • Several speakers at public comment asked the board to restore full planning periods and said the proposed 7 out of 8 schedule would affect fine arts and other teachers. 33:20
  2. Trustee follow-up on public comment 1:08:11
    • Kevin Foster thanked commenters, including students who spoke about budget advocacy and access to menstrual products. 1:08:49
    • A district staff member said communication went to campus custodial teams about ordering menstrual products and that some dispensers had been damaged. 1:16:30
    • In response to a question from Lynn Boswell, a district staff member said bond proceeds by statute can be used only for facility improvements, technology and related services, not payroll or programs. 1:17:59
  3. President's report and recognitions 1:19:20
    • Lynn Boswell reported that the February to April three-month average of board meeting time spent on student outcomes was 47%. 1:19:45
    • Lynn Boswell recognized two district teachers who won HEB Excellence in Education awards. 1:20:21
  4. Budget update finances and assumptions 1:21:27
    • The chief financial officer said the 2026⁠-⁠27 general fund gross deficit is $181 million and that the real estate team expects $45 million in property monetization. 1:21:35
    • The chief financial officer said the district will use a negative 3% property value change, a negative 3% refined ADA change and a 15% unassigned fund balance target for the recommended budget. 1:27:50
    • The chief financial officer said 64% of the total target reduction has been identified. 1:38:23
  5. Staffing, planning time and stipend proposals 1:40:06
    • District staff members proposed moving Band 3 and 4 elementary campuses to new class ratios in year 1 and staffing other secondary campuses at 7 out of 8 for all courses in year 2. 1:40:06
    • A district staff member said estimated impacted allocations were 76 in elementary, 51 in middle school and 79 in high school. 1:53:53
    • A district staff member said the board would receive the recommended budget Thursday, May 21st, and would vote to adopt the budget Thursday, June 18th. 2:14:58
  6. Board discussion of budget 2:16:25
    • One board member asked for fund balance projections for future years and whether staff could bring a budget with a 16 or 17% fund balance, and the superintendent said district leadership was very firm on 15%. 2:16:31
    • One board member said cutting educators' planning time was a no-go and that they would rather look for 206 positions from the top down. 2:44:10
    • Candace Hunter asked for a dollar amount next to every proposed change. 2:53:32
  7. Academics and curriculum agenda preview 3:38:56
    • Candace Hunter asked about the cost of item 6.1, and a district staff member said the proposal had no cost to the district. 3:41:40
    • A district staff member said the proposed calendar adds 3 instructional days for 77,850 minutes, and one board member said they could not imagine voting for the calendar with the added half day on it. 3:48:03
    • A district staff member said the item was a 1-year amendment and that the district could do an RFP as early as this fall. 3:53:54
  8. Business and finance agenda preview 3:54:57
    • Candace Hunter asked, regarding item 7.1, how much of the up to 10% the district was getting back. 3:55:44
    • A district staff member said one item pursues a grant and the other spends the grant dollars on the items the district said it would buy with them. 3:59:54
    • A district staff member later said the district gets $1 per mile from TEA while its cost is $7.20 per mile, about 14% of total transportation expenditures. 4:03:20
  9. Policy agenda preview 4:01:04
    • One board member asked whether there was a date by which item 9.2 had to be approved, a district staff member said no, and they asked the board to consider pushing it out so it could be vetted better. 4:01:24
    • David Kauffman said most of the policy updates are minor word changes in response to legislative changes. 4:02:21
  10. Second grade literacy scorecard report 4:05:33
    • A district staff member said 26% of 2nd grade students scored in the recommended for intervention level at the beginning of the year and 21% at the middle of the year. 4:07:14
    • A district staff member said alignment of lessons to the intended rigor rose to 57% in foundational skills and 67% in comprehension at Lighthouse and Learning Lab schools. 4:21:16
  11. Executive session and adjournment 4:30:42
    • Lynn Boswell recessed the open meeting at 10:35 PM to move into executive session. 4:30:42
    • Lynn Boswell announced the meeting adjourned at 11:23 PM. 4:31:25

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

What was said

What board members said, in order

What's the rationale of adding an instructional day on the last day of school? I mean, the last— why is there— what is the benefit to adding any part of an instructional day to the end of the calendar?David Kauffman · Board member3:48:37
Other meetings

Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “Austin ISD Board of Trustees Information Session: May 7, 2026”