The theme of Austin Independent School District’s State of the District this year was a welcome change from the district’s recent financial turmoil. The message of Wednesday’s speech: things are getting better.

Reaching about a hundred people at the McCallum Performing Arts Center, AISD Superintendent Meria Carstarphen turned to song and dance to spread the good news that AISD is financially stable. Last year, massive budget cuts prompted the school district to slash hundreds of jobs.

That’s not the case this year, Carstarphen said.

"This year there will be no layoffs, no declaration of financial exigency," she said.

And now that AISD is on stable ground, the superintendent said she’ll work on getting teachers a raise in pay.

Rae Nwosu is a co-president of Education Austin, a local teachers union. She said the speech left a positive impression.

"No layoffs and no financial exigency. That was very important for the staff to hear," she said.

"We just want to stay the course and not have any more layoffs it's been too devastating for our industry," Ken Zarifus, another co-president of Education Austin, said.

Speaking to state’s Robin Hood school financing plan, Carstarphen said Austin can no longer afford to pay into the fund. Under Robin Hood, property-rich districts, including AISD, pay into a fund which goes on to bankroll poorer districts in hopes of creating a more equal education system.

"Days ago are not the same as today, and we need all of our resources to actually fund and support our kids today," Carstarphen said.

The district is also in the midst of overhauling student campuses. The board will vote on the Facilities Master Plan on December 12th.