In November, the school board voted to close 10 schools slated for improvements under the bond, a move intended to help offset a nearly $20 million deficit. But here's the catch: By that point, more than $95 million in bond money already had been spent or committed to campuses headed for closure. The most expensive project was more than $48 million in improvements to Oak Springs Elementary, funded by a $2.4 billion infrastructure and technology bond approved by voters in 2022.
The bond was pitched as a way to shore up struggling schools as the Austin school district faced mounting financial pressures and declining enrollment, but the school board voted to close 10 schools slated for improvements under the bond. District leaders say Austin ISD has identified about $100 million that they have pulled back into the overall 2022 bond program, dollars that are not going to be spent at these campuses, but are still being de-committed. Other projects on the closure list include the phased modernization of Martin Middle School, which was already underway, with a price tag of $36.5 million.
The timing has left parents and taxpayers furious. James Quintero, policy director with the Taxpayer Protection Project at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, said "certainly taxpayers care," adding "Taxpayers have now witnessed a lot of their money just being wasted on facilities that will go unused." The sudden suspension of those projects, aimed at improving learning environments, has upended promises to long-underserved communities and voters who supported the bond package.