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Monday night, the board put an end to the district's state of financial emergency, almost a year after they declared it.

"AISD is no longer in a state of financial exigency and we do not plan to undergo a reduction in force as part of our budgeting process," AISD Superintendent Meria Carstarphen said.

At the beginning of 2011, AISD's budget came up $94 million short. As a result, more than 1,000 district employees were laid off - hundreds were teachers.

Layoffs and other cost-cutting measures, like increasing employee health insurance contributions and reducing money for some school programs, helped the district save more than $40 million.

"Over the last two years our strategy has been to stabilize our resources and create a structure that allows us to do a better job at controlling our finances regardless of what the Legislature dishes out," Carstarphen said.

Now, 650 employees have their jobs back and no one is happier to report AISD's good fortune than Carstarphen.

Carstarphen said she will keep the promise she made at November's State of the District because now AISD has enough money in the bank to avoid teacher layoffs and another state of financial emergency in 2013.

The board made no mention of raises for AISD teachers at Monday's meeting.
They will meet again on Feb. 13.