Austin ISD trustees call $2.439 billion bond election after public testimony on equity and school rebuilds

The Austin Independent School District board of trustees on Aug. 11 voted unanimously to adopt an order calling a Nov. 2022 uniform election to authorize up to $2,439,000,000 in unlimited-tax bonds, after about 24 members of the public spoke in person or by recorded message about equity, school rebuilds and funding for special-education safety measures.

The bond package was presented by interim Superintendent Doctor Mays and district staff as a revised proposal that builds on the bond steering committee's equity-by-design recommendations and would include major investments in historically underserved and Title I campuses while also adding projects the administration recommended. Trustees and dozens of public speakers framed the vote around equity, historic disinvestment and the need to preserve the bond steering committee's work.

Trustee Foster moved the resolution and Trustee Wagner seconded it. During the district presentation, Chief of Operations Matias Sigur described an updated proposal and named specific allocations, and Chief Financial Officer Ed Ramos outlined debt restructuring and the district's plan to use portions of fund balance to increase capacity while keeping the proposed debt-service tax increase to one cent. The…