Latest news with #AISD
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Travis County DA: ‘Insufficient evidence' to charge Austin ISD executive for tampering
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Travis County prosecutors say there is insufficient evidence to charge a long-time Austin Independent School District executive with tampering with government records. In a court record filed on Wednesday, the Travis County District Attorney's Office stated that it would not file charges. In February, Austin Independent School District investigators accused Amie Ortiz, 40, of deleting information police requested while she was working as the district's director of talent strategy. Ortiz has been an AISD employee for over 17 years, serving in both teaching and executive roles. She has been on administrative leave from the district since September 2024. Ortiz's attorney, Brian Roark, stated Ortiz was not aware she was the target of any investigation. Austin ISD executive charged with tampering with government records The charge Ortiz faced stemmed from an investigation into a different employee who was suspected of stealing thousands of dollars worth of gift cards. According to investigators, Ortiz reported that more than $65,000 worth of district gift cards owned by the school district were missing. She also reported issues with misuse of the cards and lack of documentation. The gift cards were purchased and issued through AISD's insurance carrier as a part of the district's employee wellness program, according to district officials and an affidavit. Ortiz had created an internal tracking system on Google Sheets for the gift cards, which documented the gift card vendor, amount, quantity, the recipient of the card, the reason for releasing the card, and the date of release. According to investigators, multiple people could access the log. Former Austin ISD official accused of theft, using district gift cards for personal buys But later, investigators accused Ortiz of 'intentionally manipulating' that log. Detectives alleged that the day after they responded to the theft report, Ortiz deleted a portion of the gift card log totaling more than $36,250 and altered the initials next to several entries. The log included an inventory from a January 2024 bulk order of $135,000 worth of gift cards, as well as inventory from another set of gift cards found in a storage cabinet over the summer, totaling $36,250, according to the affidavit. Ortiz's attorney stated that Ortiz made the changes because she believed the detectives wanted her to provide an accurate account of the gift cards from the January 2024 bulk order of gift cards. Ortiz's attorney said she was under the impression that the gift cards found in the storage cabinet were not part of the January bulk order and 'had already been given to campuses for staff wellness' over the summer. Former Austin ISD executive accused of stealing thousands from district Ortiz's attorney also said that at some point, the safe containing the gift cards was moved to a different person's office, and Ortiz changed the initials to indicate that the inventory entries were made when the safe was in another person's office. 'Every action she took, statement made, and document she provided was accurate and true to the extent of her knowledge and understanding at that time. She never intentionally provided any false information,' Roark said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Watch Tappan Zee and Brewster in Section 1 overtime thriller
Dallas Cowboys & AISD girls flag football tourney Austin ISD is bringing girls flag football to the field by partnering with the Cowboys. Students athletes from several high school in the district signed up to be on the team. FOX 7 Austin's Katie Pratt caught up with the players and coaches. 1:43 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Watch Scarsdale defeat Arlington in Section 1 flag football championship
Dallas Cowboys & AISD girls flag football tourney Austin ISD is bringing girls flag football to the field by partnering with the Cowboys. Students athletes from several high school in the district signed up to be on the team. FOX 7 Austin's Katie Pratt caught up with the players and coaches. 1:43 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Axios
20-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
How much federal funding Austin-area school districts get
Local school districts in Texas are struggling with funding deficits and could face more shortfalls under a Trump administration plan to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. Why it matters: As the White House signals that less help could be coming, Texas public school districts are closing campuses while facing teacher shortages and falling school performance ratings. Driving the news: Austin ISD officials announced Friday that they're gathering public input to identify campuses for closure "to avoid deeper budget cuts." "Currently, our resources are spread too thin, leaving all schools feeling under-resourced," AISD's newsletter says. "Consolidating schools will allow us to invest more fully in fewer campuses." The big picture: Education has been a focus of the Texas Legislature this year. Gov. Greg Abbott this month signed legislation creating a $1 billion private school voucher program. Lawmakers are also advancing long-sought legislation to bolster public school funding. The Texas House last month passed House Bill 2, which would spend nearly $8 billion to increase per-student funding by $395, among other measures. The Senate last week released its counter-proposal, which would increase per-student funding by just $55, per the Texas Tribune. Reality check: It's unclear precisely how the potential demise of the Education Department will affect federal funding to local school systems. The department is the primary source of federal money to local schools, but not the only one. Zoom in: Public schools across Texas receive about $13.4 billion in funding from federal sources, per Census Bureau data. That's about $439 per person, making Texas No. 9 in the nation for per person federal school funding. Austin ISD gets about 17% of its revenue from federal sources. That's more than $216 million. What they're saying: Federal funding goes to teacher positions, contracted services and support staff, according to Christy Fox, executive director of state and federal compliance and accountability for Austin ISD. Federal funding also covers professional learning and development for teachers, emergent bilingual education, gifted and talented services, child nutrition and more, Fox adds. "Given the district's current financial situation, any loss of funding has a significant impact," Fox tells Axios. "This was evident when anticipated funding" for reimbursements for Medicaid-related services provided to students " declined from $16 million to $4 million in FY 2024-25, highlighting the challenges of maintaining essential services amid a budget deficit." Between the lines: Nationally, federal funds now make up an average of about 14% of a public school system's budget, with more typically going to lower-income areas. Other area districts counted federal funding among their revenue in 2023: Eanes ISD: 4.8% Pflugerville ISD: 9.9% Lake Travis ISD: 3.3% Lago Vista ISD: 3.7% Del Valle ISD: 16.3% Manor ISD: 12.5% University of Texas Elementary Charter School: 20.4% University of Texas University Charter School: 28.8% The other side: Trump's order to close the Education Department is a step toward fulfilling one of his campaign promises: removing federal oversight of states' public education systems.
Axios
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Axios
Girls flag football kicks off at Austin public schools
The Austin Independent School District is hosting its inaugural girls flag football tournament this weekend, with the support of the Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott. Why it matters: Women's sports are growing in Austin, from soccer to rugby to flag football. The big picture: Texas' University Interscholastic League (UIL) doesn't formally consider flag football a high school sport, but it has grown nationwide as another option for female athletes. This year, the NCAA's Atlantic East Conference introduced women's flag football. Men's and women's flag football will also debut at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Austin-based Concordia University Texas launched a varsity women's flag football team in the fall. What they're saying: "Football has given me so much. Now, as a 'Girl Dad' myself, I want to thank the girls for paving the way today, and for breaking barriers to grow the game," Prescott said in a statement earlier this year announcing the Cowboys' partnership with AISD and other Texas public school districts. Zoom out: The NFL has been working since 2016 to encourage more girls to play flag football. It is now a varsity sport in 14 states and at more than 50 colleges and universities, per the Cowboys. UIL has said more schools need to establish programs for the league to consider sanctioning the sport in Texas. Zoom in: The Houston Texans earlier this year announced partnerships with Round Rock ISD and Pflugerville ISD to support girls flag football programs. 📍 If you go: Squads from a dozen AISD high schools will compete today and tomorrow, starting at 5:30pm at the Toney Burger Athletic Center in South Austin. Admission is free.
