Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Academic Baseline topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
AISD staff present draft academic baseline and campus program map as trustees press for budget clarity
Summary
District staff outlined a draft academic baseline and public program map intended to clarify what every Austin ISD campus offers, while trustees pressed staff to explain how the baseline will inform urgent budget decisions and protect class sizes and planning time.
The Austin Independent School District presented a draft academic baseline and an interactive program map on May 14 as part of a work session where trustees also faced sharp questions about an unfolding $100‑plus million budget shortfall.
Dr. Maryann Maxwell led the baseline update, describing milestones for a theory of action, curriculum and instruction milestones, a professional learning plan, and an assessment framework. Maxwell said district staff are compiling an “asset map” of instructional programs — core courses, special education, fine arts, athletics, on‑ramps and after‑school options — so families can see campus offerings in an online, public‑facing map. “We’re really trying to streamline that and make it more accessible to the public,” she said.
The memo‑style baseline draft links required state minimums to district practice. At elementary level staff summarized minute‑allocation examples (for instance, kindergarten language arts minutes vs. fifth grade) and described how AISD ensures 135 minutes weekly of physical activity at K‑5. At middle school, staff said the district offers regular and advanced pathways and ensures at least one language other than English at every campus. At high school, presenters reiterated state requirements for the Foundation High School Program and explained district options for endorsements and the distinguished level of achievement that make students eligible for top‑10% university admission.
Why it matters: trustees said the baseline should guide this year’s budget choices rather than be developed afterward. Several trustees said they want a conservative, affordable “standard of service” that districts can guarantee to families at the point of a budget vote. Trustee Hunter pressed staff to centralize some offerings now so that cuts to campus staffing are minimized, saying, “If an administration is not willing to do that immediately, then what are we supposed to do?”
Staff said the baseline work is intended to be iterative and to include community feedback. Maxwell said the district plans targeted outreach this summer and broader engagement in the fall, and hopes to launch a campus programming map publicly by August to help families compare offerings across schools.
Trustees’ concerns and next steps: Board members repeatedly raised two connected concerns — timing and enforceability. Several trustees said they received community feedback asking that the baseline be available in time to influence the budget vote in June and that the district clarify what counts as a funded, staffed program versus a paper‑only entry. Trustees also asked staff to show per‑campus impacts and to highlight what would remain guaranteed if the district must implement reductions. Superintendent Suga and staff said they will continue refining the project plan, produce more detailed campus‑level evidence for trustees, and align the baseline to staffing allocations so that the map reflects funded, staffed offerings rather than aspirational items.
The board moved from this presentation into a lengthy budget update that trustees said must show how the baseline will (or will not) limit cuts being considered to close this year’s funding gap. The work session recessed for executive session and adjourned at 10:22 p.m.
