Education
BY CHLOE YOUNG
Leander ISD will make around $17 million in budget cuts to reduce its projected $34.4 million budget shortfall for scal year 2025-26. The district will cut about $12.8 million in posi- tions across its campuses and $3 million in adminis- trative positions at its central o ce, Superintendent Bruce Gearing said. LISD announced the cuts to sta members in a letter from Gearing on Feb. 5. The district’s growing budgetary constraints come amid stagnant funding from the state and cuts to federal funding, Gearing said. “We should not be in this position,” Gearing said. “The state had $4.5 billion appropriated for public education last session, and they left it sitting on the table. ... We have to fund public schools.” With the 2025 state legislative session underway, the House and Senate have both drafted budgets that would increase funding for public education by about $4.9 billion. Gov. Greg Abbott announced providing teacher pay raises as his third emergency item at the State of the State address Feb. 2. “Public education funding is at an all-time high,” Abbott said at the Feb. 2 event. “But improving education requires more than just spending more money. It requires high-level instruction and better Leander ISD to cut more than 200 sta positions
Some of the positions slated to be cut include: elementary school teachers 35 middle school teachers 47 high school teachers 72
SOURCE: LEANDER ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
LISD announced the district will make $17 million in budget reductions, including cutting over 200 positions.
CHLOE YOUNG COMMUNITY IMPACT
teachers, as it works to reduce its budget shortfall. LISD is hoping to reassign a ected sta members to open positions vacated through natural attrition, which is when employees choose to leave their role. “These reductions are going to be very painful, and we’re going to have to work through a lot in the coming months,” Gearing said. How we got here District o cials have expressed frustration over a lack of state funding as LISD’s nancial concerns continue to amplify. Gearing highlighted how the state’s basic allotment of funding per student has not increased from $6,160 since 2019 despite an increase in in ation. In November, Abbott said he was committed to “fully funding” public schools and raising teacher salaries; however, e orts to do so failed following
four special sessions in 2023. The Texas Senate passed a $1 billion voucher-like proposal in February this is headed to the Texas House. The district is projecting reduced enrollment growth over the next decade. To combat this, district o cials have discussed opening enrollment to students living outside of LISD’s boundaries. The district projects a $400,000 net increase in revenue if an additional 100 students attended LISD, said Melody Maples, LISD executive director of the O ce of Educational Access, at a Jan. 9 board of trustees meeting. Next steps The district has not identi ed which positions will be cut, Gearing said, but will decide on potential cuts over the next few weeks. Hannah Norton contributed to this article.
curriculum.” The overview
LISD will cut more than 200 positions from its budget next school year, including around 150
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