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Austin ISD callers urge trustees to protect campus staff, nurses and small class sizes amid proposed budget cuts
Summary
Eleven recorded public comments at the May 14 work session pressed Austin ISD trustees to avoid campus‑level staff cuts, preserve nurses and special‑education supports, maintain manageable class sizes and increase transparency about stipends and pay caps as the district weighs large reductions.
Public testimony recorded for the Austin Independent School District board work session on May 14 pressed trustees to prioritize people over central‑office reductions as the district confronts a multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar budget gap. Eleven recorded callers—mostly teachers, campus staff and parents—urged trustees to protect classroom jobs, maintain school nurses and keep class sizes manageable.
"I urge the trustees to remind the superintendent and his team to put people first with no staff cuts and no large class sizes," said Rod Joseph Rodriguez, a high‑school English teacher and a member of Education Austin. Several other callers repeated that theme, describing the potential impact of staffing reductions on planning time, student safety and compliance with special‑education rules.
"We still don't know if we have jobs next year," said Tracy Fer, a registered nurse working in Austin ISD, who asked the board to continue funding certified nursing positions at smaller elementary campuses so students and families "feel safe sending their kids to school." Zeb White, a speech‑language pathologist, warned that moving SLPAs and diagnostic staff to lower pay tiers would jeopardize special‑education compliance and federal Medicaid revenue the district depends on.
Some callers asked for more transparent documentation of savings proposed at the central office. Katherine Martinez, a District 1 resident, said public materials were hard to find and urged the district to publish clear information on pay‑cap changes and lost stipends so the community can evaluate tradeoffs.
Trustees closed public comment and signaled they would not respond immediately during the recorded segment, noting Texas open‑meetings rules that limit board deliberation on items not yet on the posted agenda. The comments preceded a two‑part work session that opened with an academic baseline update and continued with a budget presentation.
The board will receive further data and staff analyses before formal votes on the preliminary and final FY 2026–27 budget, which the administration said could require roughly $177 million to $192 million in reductions depending on the district's targeted fund balance.
