Austin ISD is the prime example of liberal "leadership" on education. They throw insane money at it and get worse and worse results because they never focus on real solutions that could fix the problems. This is what Democrat leadership gets you. The financial numbers are staggering the debt and hole they are in and they have horrific results to show for it. State needs to take over. All in a District that is filled with some of the highest value property in the state to tax and liberal voters that will give them anything. What in the hell do they spend the money on because it sure as hell isn't educating students effectively.
Compare that to Vandegrift High School in Leander ISD in West Austin. Leander ISD spends a little over $10k per student and they spend about $7800 per student at Vandegrift. This is for a school that is one of the top ranked schools in the state with a huge tax base yet they spend about 1/3rd of what Austin does for it. So the tax dollars from Vandegrift gets taken by Robin Hood policies so it can be set on fire by Austin. If there were better evidence that money has little to no relation to quality in education I can't think of one.
If you're looking for in depth reporting on AISD, it doesn't get better than @KendallGPace - who's just published another substack covering Austin ISD's academic decline and fiscal collapse.
— Jen Robichaux (@JenRobichaux) May 30, 2026
Grab a drink, a comfy chair, and settle in for a closer look.
https://t.co/rC1ssUy84x pic.twitter.com/1vqE1KgfQo
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Austin ISD is spending $21,490 per student up 51.8% since 2015 even after inflation adjustment, ranking first among its 11 peer districts according to Texas Tribune and TEA data. It has 23 F-rated campuses. Its poor kids are reading and doing math at levels 7-10 percentage points below the already-inadequate state average for their peers. And its superintendent is telling families that outcomes are improving.
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Last June, the Austin ISD board of trustees adopted a budget carrying a $19.7 million deficit. This was not a surprise it was a deliberate choice to spend more than the district would collect, drawing down reserves. At the time, trustees were assured the gap would be managed through identified strategies including property sales and operational savings.
By March 2026 with three months left in the fiscal year that $19.7 million deficit had grown to $49 million on paper. But that $49 million figure only holds if $67.5 million in "Pending Strategies" and $16.9 million in "Unrealized Revenue" all materialize before June 30. Strip those out and the real operational deficit is closer to $134 million.
Compare that to Vandegrift High School in Leander ISD in West Austin. Leander ISD spends a little over $10k per student and they spend about $7800 per student at Vandegrift. This is for a school that is one of the top ranked schools in the state with a huge tax base yet they spend about 1/3rd of what Austin does for it. So the tax dollars from Vandegrift gets taken by Robin Hood policies so it can be set on fire by Austin. If there were better evidence that money has little to no relation to quality in education I can't think of one.
"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help."
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan