Education
BY CHLOE YOUNG
O cials discuss repurposing facilities, opening enrollment
Leander ISD o cials are considering several changes that could impact the future of district facilities and enrollment. At a Jan. 9 board of trustees meeting, district o cials provided an update on the work of its Long-Range Planning Committee during the 2023-24 school year. The presentation focused on ways LISD could repurpose its campuses, attract more students and provide di erent educational experiences. What happened Last school year, the district’s Long-Range Plan- ning Committee of district o cials, sta , parents and students explored how LISD could best utilize its facilities by repurposing them, said Jayme Spexarth, principal of Stiles Middle School. Some scenarios included reducing grade levels at certain campuses, combining schools, opening an intermediate school and repurposing campuses to serve as a district multipurpose facility, accord- ing to the presentation. The district has not made any decisions related to the ideas and scenarios shared during the meeting, Superintendent Bruce Gearing said in a video posted on the district’s website Jan. 10. What else? District o cials continued discussions about opening enrollment to students living outside of LISD’s boundaries. The district has considered opening enrollment as it faces a mounting budget shortfall. If an additional 100 students attended LISD, the district estimates receiving a $400,000 net increase in revenue, said Melody Maples, LISD executive director of the O ce of Educational
How campuses were ranked Campuses were ranked on how optimal they were for repurposing based on several factors, including: Location Current and future student capacity Enrollment Seats available in adjacent campuses Cost per student Age of the facility and/ or the year it received renovations
The Leander ISD board of trustees discussed how the district could consider optimizing its facilities, opening enrollment and creating innovative academies at a Jan. 9 meeting.
CHLOE YOUNG COMMUNITY IMPACT
Access. The district would receive $6,160 in state fund- ing for each student who transferred in and would implement a fee to o set application costs, Maples said. LISD may need to spend around $60,000 to hire an additional sta member, she said. One more thing LISD is considering opening innovative acade- mies that could provide specialized instruction or programs.
The LRPC recommended opening Elementary School No. 31 as a traditional campus in 2028 near FM 2243 and CR 175 once future roadwork is completed, Trimble said. Meanwhile, Elementary School No. 32 could be opened as an innovative academy as it has not yet been designed, he said. Stay tuned District administration will use the tools developed by the LRPC to bring recommendations to the board at a later date, Gearing said.
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LEANDER LIBERTY HILL EDITION
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