Menu

Austin ISD board meeting, Jun 18, 2026

5 h 51 min · 2 videos · 42 public speakers

School closures ▶ 29:02Budget cuts and layoffs ▶ 2:49Enrollment ▶ 1:32:11Reading and test scores ▶ 25:29

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 5 h 51 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
What happened

What happened at this meeting

Part 1 · 3 h 53 min

Austin ISD trustees approve 2026⁠-⁠27 budget as amended 1:53:46

  • The board also approved the consent agenda and the superintendent's evaluation and contract amendment, each unanimously. 1:46:12
  • The board approved the 2026⁠-⁠27 proposed general fund, food service and debt service budgets as amended, with 7 in favor, 1 opposed and 1 abstaining. 1:53:46
  • Two earlier amendments that would have used deputy superintendent funds for librarians failed. ~2:03:31
  • Before that vote, the board passed 6 to 3 an amendment by David Kauffman to add a 1.0 librarian per campus, offset initially from the fund balance, with a directive to the superintendent to propose alternate offsets in an August budget amendment. 3:39:39

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

Item by item (10)
  1. Call to order and public testimony 0:33
    • Lynn Boswell called the meeting to order and said 22 people signed up to speak in person and 54 left recorded messages. 1:48
    • Speakers at public comment raised renovations under agenda item 10.4, possible cuts to librarians and after-school programming, and the proposed extension of the superintendent's contract with a $1,500 bonus for each improved campus accountability rating. 2:49
    • Other speakers asked the board to table a waste disposal contract, addressed fine arts staffing and secondary bus hubs, and asked that Becker Elementary be designated for adaptive reuse rather than sale. 15:40
  2. Trustee follow-up and executive session 1:22:06
    • Fernando Lucas de Urioste asked whether public comment by bidders on an open contract violated the restricted contact period. 1:22:49
    • Lynn Boswell said the board would convene in executive session at 8:42 PM and later said the board returned to open session at 9:02 PM. 1:23:31
    • Lynn Boswell said a written committee report from the Board Policy Committee was posted with the agenda. 1:25:16
  3. Campus transitions update 1:25:30
    • A presenter said most campus moves were completed and that 71% of the students were registered for the 26⁠-⁠27 school year, with 2,419 students registered as of June 15th. 1:31:03
    • Kevin Foster asked whether confirmed non-returns could be used to help with enrollment forecasting, and a presenter said the information helps with staffing. 1:34:00
    • Lynn Boswell asked whether staff would be at closed campuses on the first day of school, and a presenter said enrollment efforts would continue through the first few weeks of school. 1:38:03
  4. Mendez partnership quarterly update 1:39:05
    • Lynn Boswell said the partner's recorded presentation and data were provided in advance and the Mendez team would not be present for questions. 1:39:05
    • David Kauffman asked whether the reported MAP growth results could be compared directly with district middle schools, and a staff member said it was not apples to apples but the raw data could be compared. 1:40:23
  5. Consent agenda 1:41:12
    • Kevin Foster moved to approve consent agenda items 8.1 to 8.6, 9.1 to 9.3, 10.1 to 10.10, 11.1, 12.1 to 12.4 and 13.1 to 13.4. 1:41:46
    • One board member asked that a communication plan be considered for changes to student awards and scholarships under item 13.4. 1:42:24
    • Lynn Boswell asked what the surplus declaration under item 11.1 meant for the Becker property, and a staff member described a surplus process using a rubric and community feedback. 1:43:20
    • The consent agenda passed unanimously. 1:46:12
  6. Superintendent evaluation and contract amendment 1:46:44
    • The superintendent said language tying a bonus structure to accountability had been removed and that the item was an extension of time. 1:47:03
    • One board member said it is important to show a shared sacrifice. 1:49:31
    • The motion to approve item 14.1 passed unanimously. 1:53:29
  7. Budget amendment on deputy superintendent office 1:53:46
    • Kathryn Whitley Chu moved to amend the budget by eliminating the deputy superintendent position and related staff expense and the ombuds office expenses, and allocating at least one full-time librarian to each campus. 1:54:41
    • A staff member said making the half-time librarian positions whole would cost $977,500, while the deputy superintendent position with support staff was $500,954. 1:59:26
    • One board member said of the amendment, I would be voting against this at this time, and asked for more discussion first. 2:02:12
    • The amendment failed with 2 in favor, 5 opposed and 2 abstentions. 2:03:31
  8. Budget questions on transportation and staffing 2:03:46
    • Arati Singh asked about transportation changes, and a staff member said late activity buses for middle and high schools were being eliminated, noting the district spends $7.14 per mile and gets $1. 2:03:53
    • Candace Hunter asked how the district would handle canceled Capital Metro buses for ALC students, and LaRessa Quintana asked how the budget connects to the district's academic vision. 2:27:15
    • Fernando Lucas de Urioste asked for an after-action report showing where central office cuts occurred, and the superintendent said a report could be provided. 2:53:30
  9. Librarian amendments and budget adoption 3:02:46
    • Candace Hunter moved to amend the budget to ask the superintendent to use the funds for the deputy superintendent to return as many librarians as possible, and Kevin Foster raised the deputy superintendent's role in facilitating the process of reaching an academic vision. 3:33:22
    • David Kauffman moved to add a 1.0 librarian per campus, offset initially from the fund balance, with the superintendent to propose alternate offsets in an August budget amendment. 3:39:39
    • One board member said of the librarian proposal that it is what would most directly touch students. 3:44:48
    • Lynn Boswell announced that the amendment to fund librarians with the deputy superintendent funds failed, that the motion to add a full librarian to each campus passed 6 to 3, and that the budget as amended was approved with 1 opposed and 1 abstaining. 3:38:13
  10. Personnel items and adjournment 3:49:42
    • After the open meeting reconvened at 12:40 AM, Andrew Gonzales moved to approve personnel items 16.1 and 16.2. 3:49:42
    • Both items passed by all those on the dais, and the meeting adjourned at 12:42 AM. 3:51:32

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

Part 2 · 1 h 58 min

Austin ISD trustees hold public hearing on proposed 2026⁠-⁠27 budget with $20 million more in cuts 0:31

  • The Austin ISD Board of Trustees held a public hearing on the fiscal year 2026⁠-⁠27 budget, with public testimony limited to the budget. 0:31
  • Kevin Foster asked about forecasting and the plan to sell 4 campuses for $60 million, and Lynn Boswell said to give the budget discussion 30 minutes, until 7:00, and then see where things stood. 56:39
  • Lynn Boswell said the board has to vote on a budget that night and adjourned the hearing at 7:10 PM. 1:49:01

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

Item by item (10)
  1. Opening and public testimony 0:31
    • Lynn Boswell called the hearing to order at 5:13 PM and said 9 people signed up to speak in person and 8 left recorded messages. 1:48
    • Other speakers at public comment said documents arrived too late for review and asked the board to address the structural deficit with a long-term plan. 2:48
    • Several speakers at public comment asked the board to keep Communities in Schools services, and others raised cuts to librarian positions, late activity buses, fine arts and a guitar teacher position. 3:54
  2. Proposed budget presentation 17:23
    • The superintendent said transportation is planning hub bus stops for secondary schools, families will receive letters by June 25th and the Bus Finder will be available on August 3rd. 51:55
  3. Property sales and short-term borrowing 56:27
    • One board member said forecasting was a concern and asked whether there was flexibility in selling 4 campuses to reach $60 million. 57:34
    • A staff member said the district is confident $60 million is a reasonable, executable amount within the fiscal year and that it may take a fifth property. 58:46
    • Kevin Foster asked how many times the district expects to take out loans in the coming year and at what cost, and a staff member said the term bridge loan was more accurate. 1:01:40
  4. Procedural question on continuing discussion 1:15:31
    • David Kauffman asked whether the board could end the hearing and continue budget discussion under the voting item, citing people waiting to comment at the regular meeting. 1:15:31
    • Lynn Boswell said the budget is listed as a separate voting item and proposed continuing the discussion for 30 minutes. 1:17:18
  5. Finance department staffing 1:18:31
    • One board member said the finance office would go from 42 to 26 people and questioned the district's capacity to forecast well. 1:18:31
  6. Essential areas and Communities in Schools 1:22:50
    • LaRessa Quintana asked whether the budget changes which schools face essential area cuts, and a staff member said the cuts would expand from Band 4 to Band 3. 1:23:27
    • The staff member said the district would review campuses on turnaround plans for possible adjustment. 1:25:03
    • Asked by LaRessa Quintana about CIS, a staff member said there were probably still going to be over 30 schools served and that the number was 51 before. 1:27:06
  7. Budget attachments and campus staffing 1:30:07
    • David Kauffman asked whether attachments added after the budget was posted were revisions and asked that changes be noted. 1:30:53
    • A staff member said campus allocations were updated based on enrollment projections. 1:34:53
    • Lynn Boswell asked whether figures in the campus-by-campus document showing one elementary campus going from 18.5 elementary teachers to 8.5 for 285 students were accurate. 1:42:09
  8. One-time financing source 1:43:13
    • Candace Hunter asked what the source was for an amount identified as a one-time financing source and said $60 million is the property monetization. 1:45:37
    • A staff member said the $60 million is the property monetization and is included to manage disruption from one year to the next. 1:46:33
    • One board member said listing it as other funding source was opaque. 1:47:59
  9. Board president comments and questions 1:49:01
    • Lynn Boswell said the board cannot vote on the 25th because of a newspaper posting and must vote on a budget that night, with amendments possible later. 1:49:01
    • Lynn Boswell said the district receives $77.5 million and spends $188.7 million on special education services and asked about the impact of eliminating late buses. 1:50:54
    • One board member asked for a plan in August on staying within the budget and responding if enrollment or property value assumptions do not hold. 1:55:20
  10. Adjournment 1:57:32
    • Lynn Boswell asked for a motion to adjourn before the regular voting meeting. 1:57:32
    • Lynn Boswell announced the meeting adjourned at 7:10 PM. 1:57:51

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

What was said

What board members said, in order

it's the certainty piece, right? And it's the timing. Like, how did we— how did our system disconnect to where on Thursday we're surprised by a suddenly appearing $20 million $40 million crisis.David Kauffman · Board member3:23:54
Other meetings

Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “Austin ISD Board of Trustees Regular Voting Meeting: June 18, 2026”