Taxpayers pay the price when Texas education department takes over school districts

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As Austin ISD braces for state intervention, a critical question about the possible future of the cash-strapped district remains unanswered: How much will this cost taxpayers?

If the Texas Education Agency’s overhaul in Austin looks anything like it has in the other parts of the state, it could mean spending hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars to install new academic programs, remove the superintendent, pay a new one or hire a conservator.

AISD won’t know how its budget crisis could be affected until TEA announces its plans for the district. Like most of the big questions surrounding the looming intervention, it depends on the type of action TEA takes and what happens afterward.

But it’s clear Austin ISD will foot the bill for any changes made by the state in the coming months, even if the current district leaders lose control over what those changes look like.

Houston ISD, which the state took control ofin 2023, pulled nearly $450 million dollars from its rainy day reserves in the first two years to implement changes that included new technology, programs and higher salaries at some schools.

Other districts that faced state intervention in the last six months immediately saw costs spike. In Fort Worth ISD, which underwent a full takeover in March, the district paid at least $412,000 to part ways with its former superintendent. Wichita Falls ISD, which kept its leadership, now pays a state-appointed conservator to oversee reforms.

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