The Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) Act of 1986 provides funding to school districts to supplement local efforts to eliminate violence as well as drug and alcohol use by their students. In 1996-97, the Austin Independent School District (Texas) (AISD) received $622,692 from the SDFSC grant, with supplemental funds later bringing the total to $1,259,584. A survey of AISD students revealed that self-reported tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use increased with age and grade, with alcohol used most often. Most students recognized the dangers of these substances. Students also generally felt safe at school, but one-third reported being threatened or harmed at school in the past 2 years. A staff surveys showed that most staff members were not very familiar with SDFSC programs. Evaluation of the programs showed that most money was spent on instructional materials and school presentations, and that many schools did not spend their entire SDFSC allotment. The Substance Use Prevention Education Resources (SUPER I) pilot program developed with SDFSC funds demonstrated considerable success in its first year. Recommendations are made for program improvement, with an emphasis on increased alcohol education, better parent and student outreach efforts, and increased planning and monitoring. Five appendixes present a substance abuse education and prevention plan, student use rates, and results of an employee survey. (Contains 16 tables, 19 figures, and 6 references.) (SLD)