AUSTIN (KXAN)—As legislators discuss changes to private and public education in Texas during the 89th Legislative Session, there’s a growing challenge for many Central Texas districts financially struggling.
A number of districts have already cut programs that some students and families depend on.
Now, there’s a continued forced shift, further impacting the community.
Del Valle ISD ends free dual-language Pre-K for some students
Parents in the Dell Valle Independent School District recently found out the dual language pre-K program will now be tuition-based for some.
It’s a change Brittany Clay’s family wasn’t expecting, as their youngest daughter, Navy, is set to begin pre-K in the fall.
“We found out, maybe, like one business day before registration opened,” Clay said.
Dell Valle ISD had offered the program free for families in 2021, due to federal pandemic relief funding the district got through the city of Austin and Travis County.
Clay’s daughter, Norah, was one of the students who benefited and was able to thrive. Now their family will have to adjust their budget for Navy to be able to experience the program as her sister Norah did.
“It’s going to be, ultimately, I think, around close to $7,000,” Clay said. “Education today looks so different [now] … and ultimately, the districts can only do so much.”
Even when Dell Valle ISD received federal pandemic relief funding— the district still needed to cover some costs for the program. And now, facing a $13 million budget deficit, the district said it’s just not feasible to do that for all students anymore.
“Importantly, families who meet state qualifications will continue to receive pre-K at no cost,” Dell Valle ISD said. “Costs to operate a free pre-K program for non-qualifying students exceed $1 million per year and offering free pre-K for non-qualifying students is not sustainable.”
Austin ISD to consolidate campuses
Analysis by KXAN investigators last year found, most school districts in Central Texas have budget deficits.
Austin ISD just announced it plans in the works to close some of its campuses to save money, per the recommendation of an efficiency audit. The district said it is facing a $110 million deficit.
AISD hasn’t figured out which schools it will consolidate yet but said under enrollment will likely be a factor. The district said it will have community input meetings to help it figure out which schools it will consolidate, which it said would happen as early as the 2026-2027 school year.
No public school state funding since 2019
“Unfortunately, because we haven’t seen increased state funding since 2019 we’re in this spot,” Nguyen said. “We are hopeful that we can see some funding coming out of this session.”
It’s something districts are anxious about, and leaders wait to see what will happen. Meanwhile, the impact of financial woes continue trickling down to families and students.
“It’s just it feels like there’s a little more uncertainty,” Clay said.
Credit: Source link
