Carstarphen: Clouds clearing in AISD

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Superintendent Meria Carstarphen said the storm clouds are clearing in the Austin Independent School District , allowing her to lift the state of financial emergency that hangs over the district.

Cuts in state funding to schools means Austin ISD will cut almost $90 million during the next two years, but the school district is financially stable enough to lift its declaration of financial exigency, which allowed the district to fire employees mid-year in order to cover budget gaps.

Carstarphen will recommend the financial exigency declaration be lifted at the January board of trustees meeting. The board approved the declaration last February.

Carstarphen was critical of the state's school finance system in her speech, noting that AISD had sent $1.3 billion in local tax dollars back to the state in the last decade. That might have been acceptable when AISD was more homogenous, but two-thirds of Austin's children are now on the free-and-reduced lunch program.

In her speech, Carstarphen announced AISD would have no layoffs this year, and she wanted to pursue a raise for AISD employees next year. If employees do not get a raise this year, it will mean three years without a pay raise. To maintain the raise for more than one year, however, will require a tax ratification election.

"If we did not do it this next school year we will not have seen any compensation increase for our staff in three years and that's just unheard of," said Carstarphen. "And we know we are not being competitive."

The achievement gap between white and minority students was improving, even if it had not closed, Carstarphen said. For the first time since 2003, Austin ISD does not have a campus under the federal sanctions of No Child Left Behind. A total of 80 percent of Austin's students met or exceeded state standards in every subject.

Carstarphen told the crowd she looked forward to implementing the recommendations proposed under a facilities master plan. In the future, AISD will be more proactive, rather than reactive, about facility issues.

"No one is backing off trying to do the right thing for the right reason at the right time," said Carstarphen.