AISD Weighs Keeping Campuses Open After Winter Break
Between a rock and a hard place
By Clara Ence Morse, Fri., Jan. 1, 2021
With two new trustees on the virtual dais at last week's Austin ISD Board of Trustees meeting, the board unanimously voted to give Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Elizalde the authority to close campuses or move to virtual-only learning for the first week of classes following winter break, in addition to approving an extension of paid COVID-19 quarantine leave for employees.
However, despite the broadened authority, Elizalde said she is unlikely to shutter campuses, barring "exceptional" new data. To understand why, let's start with the budget. "Based on the last conversation with Austin Public Health, we are expecting to be open as we closed prior to the winter break," said Elizalde at the Dec. 23 board meeting. "I expect [it] to be on the calendar that we have adopted, and January 5 would be when students whose parents are choosing for them to be allowed on campus [will return]."
Elizalde's reasoning for planning to keep schools open is twofold. First, as she told trustees, "Data is relative." Although Austin's COVID-19 numbers are worsening – with local officials declaring Stage 5 pandemic restrictions last week – Travis County is performing much better than other urban areas in Texas. (Austin is not yet at the qualifying threshold at which the Texas Education Agency would permit campuses to shutter, as they did in El Paso.) Interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott has recommended restricting extracurriculars and implementing mass testing for athletes, but Elizalde said he had not advised AISD to shutter campuses yet.
Financial concerns also loom. If AISD pivoted to virtual-only learning for the week after winter break – thus violating the TEA directive requiring schools to offer in-person instruction – the district would then only receive credit for half of the teaching time. To make up for it, AISD would need to extend the school year, which would include extra teacher compensation for the additional days of instruction. Elizalde estimated such measures would cost the district an extra $3 million a year, which would add to the $50 million deficit the district is currently running. "It is a money thing," said outgoing District 5 Trustee Amber Elenz. "Do we have the money to pay teachers?"
Compounding budgetary worries, no matter how AISD decides to reopen after winter break, the district could face an additional budget deficit if the TEA doesn't extend its "hold harmless" attendance policy into the spring. AISD budgeted for this year expecting 80,974 students; on Nov. 10, 75,212 were enrolled, falling short by over 5,700 students. As districts are funded based on average daily attendance – a function of enrollment – the drop in enrollment without mitigation could mean over $50 million in lost funding. Although the TEA funded districts for this fall based on their attendance last year, the agency does not currently plan to extend the leeway for the spring semester. And if the district dips too far into its financial reserves, its bond rating could drop.
"As a district, we're either villains or we might be seen as heroes, depending on what decisions we make. There are no good options here," said Elizalde. "We can only do what we think is best given the data that we have."
Elizalde said she would make a final decision on the status of the first week of school by Jan. 3.
Got something to say on the subject? Send a letter to the editor.