School District Allocates $350k For Enrollment Campaign

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN-UT -- Austin school district board members have approved spending of $350,000 for a marketing campaign aimed at increasing student enrollment.

Austin independent School District officials approved the measure at their meeting this week. Plans for the marketing campaign come at a time of declining enrollment figures.

Since 2011, nearly 2,000 students have left the district. In the next ten years, more than 4,000 students would have departed if enrollment downturns continue at their current pace.

The losses are being partly blamed on Austin’s increasing property values that have made the city unaffordable for many families. Because state funding depends on student enrollment, the district stands to lose as much as $35 million in light of the trend.

The marketing campaign is intended to stem that tide.

This won’t be the first time at such marketing. The district launched a media campaign in June comprising radio spots, flyers and billboards.