As school hallways filled up on Monday with students and parents who had the first-day jitters, a debate filled Austin School District's headquarters about tax rates.

At issue: a controversial plan that would have let voters decide whether to accept a property tax increase that would fund a 3 percent teacher pay increase, pre-kindergarten and a one-time investment to east Austin schools.

AISD's Board of Trustees decided on a 2.5 cent increase for the tax rate that affects debt repayment. The board has said the increase wouldn't impact taxpayers.

After a discussion across the board, they decided to keep the maintenance and operations tax rate the same, effectively rejecting a plan that would have put a measure on November's ballot to raise property taxes five cents for every $100 of property value.

"What we've learned is that there's not a consensus in the community to move forward with any kind of tax increase," AISD Board Member Annette LoVoi said before the vote.

Even Education Austin, a 4,000 member union that voiced support for the measure as recently as last Thursday, reversed that support during Monday night's board meeting. Like LoVoi, the group cited a lack of community consensus as the reason.

"Education Austin is withdrawing our recommendation that the district call for a tax election in November," Education Austin Vice President Rae Nwosu said.

The union asked the board to instead use some of the federal funding the district is still waiting to receive from the Edujobs Bill. Superintendent Meria Carstarphen and other board members encouraged the possibility of using some of the funds for a one-time, two percent raise for some school workers. However, that raise would be contingent upon AISD receiving the money.

"Our paychecks are not giving us a living wage," AISD employee Betty Davis told the board. "I really don't know who coined the phrase 'paycheck to paycheck,' but my check does not stretch that far."