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.
• "Given the district's current financial situation, any loss of funding has a significant impact," Christy Fox, executive director of state and federal compliance and accountability for Austin ISD, tells Axios.

What's next: Residents can complete Austin ISD's school consolidation survey by June 6.

Other local districts

Travis Heights Elementary, an Austin ISD school, recently won top marks from the state for its academic performance. We checked in with Michelle Amezquita-Navarro, the school's principal, about her very best day in Austin.

Zoom in: Amezquita-Navarro has worked more than two decades in the district — including seven years as head of Travis Heights Elementary.

• She has long lived in East Austin, by the intersection of Robert T. Martinez and Cesar Chavez, next door to her in-laws. "It's like 'Everybody Loves Raymond' but the Latino version," she jokes.

Over 15 languages are spoken at Travis Heights. "It's very much in that Keep Austin Weird vibe. We're surrounded by multimillion-dollar homes, but we also serve" students from public housing, Amezquita-Navarro says.

• The school is 43.7% Hispanic, 30% white, 12.2% Asian and 7.2% African American.

This interview has been condensed for clarity.

Is your ideal day a weekday or on the weekend?

"My best day involves being able to go to work. I get up around 5:30 and get myself settled. I have a daughter in middle school — at Ann Richards. We leave the house by 6:30am and talk about what are the points of gratitude in our life."

What time do kids arrive at the school?

"7:10am. I'm greeting them and then I try to get out into the classrooms, check on teachers, check in with students. I like hanging out with the kinder or pre-K — they're sometimes offering a glass of milk and slice of chocolate cake."

Her routine for unwinding

💰 The city has opened a $5 million grant round aimed at combating displacement and promoting economic mobility near Project Connect corridors. (Austin Monitor)

🏛️ A bill that would impose sweeping restrictions on how minors use social media is moving quickly through the Legislature with bipartisan support. (Texas Tribune)

🪖 The Army's Training and Doctrine Command, currently based in Virginia, will move to Austin and merge with the Army Futures Command, part of an effort by the Department of Defense to eliminate repeating programs. (KVUE)

Alt-pop star Billie Eilish has added an Austin stop on her "Hit Me Hard and Soft" world tour.

Driving the news: Eilish will perform at Moody Center on Nov. 13 and 14, her only scheduled Texas shows.

Catch up quick: The 23-year-old won a Golden Globe, two Grammys and an Oscar for the song "What Was I Made For?" created for the hit movie "Barbie."

• She received seven nominations for her third studio album "Hit Me Hard and Soft," and Live Nation announced the singer's tour to coincide with the album's release last April.

What's next: Pre-sale begins on May 20, and general sales start May 22. Find more info on the singer's website.

The floor of the Joan Means Khabele Bathhouse at Barton Springs Pool is looking gorgeous.

What's happening: Workers have been installing a mosaic, titled "Entre Agua y Estrellas" (or "Between Water and Stars"), by Austin beadwork artist Lys Santamaria.

• Composed of Mexican smalti glass and custom elements, this lithomosaic includes depictions of endangered salamanders and native wildflowers and of constellations and turtles as part of a meditation on the significance of nature in Austin and the joy of the springs.

What they're saying: "From the very beginning, I held one phrase in my heart: Water is for everyone," Santamaria wrote in an artist's statement.