Author: Newsletter

It’s that time of year again – AP tests and finals are just around the corner as well as graduation parties and summer fun. With all this, your teen may feel extra pressure to get in more study hours or may be seeking ways to destress. Check out this guide from the Raising Healthy Raptors Committee on Teens and Substance Use made for parents by parents to learn more about what to look for, how to talk to your teen, and what to do if you think your teen needs help.

Caregiver’s Guide to Teens and Substance Use

For those who could not attend Friday’s PFLASA meeting where Principal Crescenzi went over AISD’s overall budget projections AND what is on the table in terms of cuts, this is a summary with links to information and the survey below:

• The district is anticipating a gross deficit of $181 million in 2026-27.
• Recapture (defined here and explained AISD impact: here ) is not the only financial constraint the district is facing.
• The district has 3,200 fewer students (as of the most recent tally) than it anticipated. For the last three years, Travis County property values have decreased. Lower property values mean less revenue coming into the district.
• This is not the result of poor financial management as AISD has received numerous accolades. This is a state-wide problem. See discussion: here 
• To meet this financial challenge EVERYTHING not mandated by the State is being considered for cost savings.
  • Changes to campus staffing levels (student-teacher ratios) & (nurses/librarians), master schedules, and planning periods (i.e. the 7 out of 8 model);
  • Revised ratios for administrative and support positions;
  • Employee stipends;
  • A 15% cut to all non-staffing budgets across all campuses and departments (already in effect);
  • Potential reduction or elimination of certain programs (this includes magnets, dual language, IB, etc)
  • Cutting transportation costs including magnet transportation.
• The district is also considering ways to raise revenue: Selling facility naming rights and advertising; Philanthropic partnerships (The Austin Ed Fund is Austin ISD’s trusted philanthropic partner); Pursuing “Resource Campus” designations to secure extra state funding for struggling schools; Additional Days School Year (ADSY) calendars at several schools to cover the cost of summer enrichment programs.
• The district needs and will make painful cuts that will affect the quality of school life. The deficiency is too large to only cut from the central office which has already been pared down. This links to the presentation that Stacia gave.
• We heard that most of the LASA staff would prefer changes to class size rather than the 7/8 model. Some teachers with subject areas that cannot take larger student groups prefer 7/8. One of the biggest things that would help LASA (and other high schools) is flexibility to make those decisions within a constrained budget.
• Now is the time to give the district your ideas for revenue and priorities. Rejecting all cuts or suggesting cuts that will not affect you is unlikely to be successful or considered.
• The Timeline for creating and adopting the new budget is tight.
  • April 23, 2026: Preliminary 2026–27 Budget presented to the public.
  • May 21, 2026: Recommended Budget presented to the Board.
  • June 18, 2026: Board of Trustees votes on the final budget.
  • July 1, 2026: The new budget and strategies take effect.
• SURVEY: ends 4/30 but preliminary budget 4/23: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfeIB3ycGYrGUEz-Ws7_VvXCkB3X1q3anHc-AnaEMDKdHTKOw/viewform
• Community conversations to gather input on which programs are most vital to the student experience:
  • Virtual Session: Saturday, April 25 | 11 a.m.–12 p.m.
  • In-Person (Austin High School): Tuesday, April 28 | 6–7 p.m.
  • Virtual Session: Saturday, May 9 | 11 a.m.–12 p.m.
• Other Engagement – contact your Board representative
  • Who represents me: https://www.austinisd.org/board/boundaries
  • How do I contact them: https://www.austinisd.org/board/members

At our April 17th meeting we elected next year’s (2026-2027) PFLASA Executive Board.

PFLASA wouldn’t be able to do what it does without the dedication of the volunteers who make up the Board, our Parent Reps and Event Chairs- it seriously takes many people to make it work! Thank you to ALL our wonderful volunteers that help us pull it all off.

Please give a warm welcome and a clap on the back to our next board:

• President — Angela Graveline (Sam 2028)
• Vice President — THIS COULD BE ✨YOU!✨ (We are still looking for someone to fill this position. It’s a great way to jump into PFLASA and learn all we do).
• Treasurer — Anna Land (Zoe 2028)
• Co-Treasurer — Siobhán Whiteside (Cormick 2029)
• Secretary — Amy Casto (Charlotte 2028, Ava 2030)
• Assistant Secretary — Cheryl Starcher (Juliette 2029)
• Grants — Marianne Reat (Wangmin 2028)
• Grants Co-Chair — Stephanie McFarland (Anne 2029)

Join us at our last virtual meeting of the year, Tuesday, April 28th at 6:30 PM.

We’ll briefly chat about PFLASA and events coming up and then we’ll move on to our special topic for the evening.

• Topic: “As Your Kid Becomes an Adult”
• Date: Tuesday, April 28
• Time: 6:30-8:00

This presentation from experienced parents will talk about what changes when your child turns 18, moves out of the house and/or begins college. Come hear lessons learned and all the details you didn’t realize you needed to know.

More details, including Zoom invite, will be coming soon via Raptor Report, Google Groups, PM and PFLASA FB page.

We hope to see you there!

Please join us for our next PFLASA meeting, we’d love to see you!

• Date: Friday, Apr. 17th
• Time: 8:15 AM
• Location: Portable by the tennis courts

We’ll share what’s going on with PFLASA, lots of volunteer opportunities, committee updates and as always, coffee and tea.

We look forward to seeing you this Friday.