AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Independent School District confirmed with KXAN Thursday that some of its police staff members will be cut as part of the upcoming budget.
“It is true that our Central Office and operations staff, including our Police Department was affected by the staffing cuts due to our budget deficit,” AISD said in an email.
We asked several follow-up questions, inquiring how many staff members this impacted and how this decision was made. AISD said the employee who needs to approve the information sent out by the communications office was not in Thursday, so they were not able to provide us with those answers yet – but are working on getting us more details.
In response to the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, AISD is upping security to finish the school year. A letter to parents said, in part:
For the rest of this week you will see additional officers on patrol and supplementing
coverage on campuses. Also, high school-based officers will cover elementary
schools and middle schools promptly after dismissals at their assigned campuses.
AISD PD officers are following up with campus administrators on safety protocols
and emergency plans. You will also see enhanced security at our graduation ceremonies.AISD letter
Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Elizalde referenced those measures in Thursday night’s board meeting, and also spoke emotionally about the shooting in Uvalde.
“We mourn their loss and in thinking about there loss It is natural to worry about whether that can happen here. We will continue to do whatever it takes to keep our children and staff safe. You will see more officers on patrol. We will reinforce campuses with additional presence. We will double-check our security plans,” she said.
According to the AISD Police Department website, there are 89 full-time police officers currently on staff. That includes 43 school resource officers, 20 patrol officers and two mental health coordinators. The website also states there are two school resource officers assigned to every high school and one to every middle school. Patrol officers patrol and respond to service calls at the elementary schools.
KXAN will update this article when AISD provides more information on what the AISD PD cuts entail.
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