BY CHLOE YOUNG
Driving decisions
What it means
Smaller class sizes with individualized attention from teachers
Private schools allow parents to have greater control over their children's education when school districts “may not necessarily share their same values or see the world the way they do,” he said. Austin’s expansive homeschooling community is continuing to grow, adding hybrid homeschooling programs and co-ops, Teri Sperry, an education consultant with Alt Ed Austin said. Many families choose alternative education options, such as microschools, when their children's needs cannot be met at a traditional public school, she said. Alvizo said Great Hearts' classical model is best suited to meet her son’s learning needs while the online format provides her family more flexibility. Bruce Gearing said district officials are most concerned about why students are choosing other options over LISD. Gearing said he believes there has been a attack on public education from state lawmakers who pushed sending taxpayer dollars to private schools last year. Moving forward, the district will seek to provide students with opportunities that are equitable to other educational options in the area—something public schools aren't yet doing as well as they could, Gearing said. “Our offering has to be as good or better than any other offering that exists out there so that people really want to come to public school,” Gearing said. “That is our job. That is our responsibility.”
This school year, 681 students transferred out of LISD to attend Harmony Public Schools. The charter school district focuses on science, technology, engineering and math, and provides personalized support for students while offering many opportu- nities found at larger schools, said Amy Chankin, assistant area superintendent of programs. “We also have some autonomy when it comes to what we teach and how we teach,” Chankin said. Scott Mac Leod, head of school at Summit Chris- tian Academy, said the Cedar Park private school is an appealing option for families seeking high academic standards free from state requirements, such as standardized testing.
Special programming such as STEM-focused, classical or religious curriculum Parental involvement including educators having more autonomy over what and how they teach
“It's a positive thing for a community to have a healthy and diverse ecosystem of educational options.” TERI SPERRY, EDUCATION CONSULTANT FOR ALT ED AUSTIN
Going forward
Financial impact These are estimates of basic allotment funding school districts would have received for students who left the district if all students attended all of the time in 2023-24.
LISD is expected to receive $6.7 million less in revenue from the state this school year due to student enrollment being lower than projected, according to district documents. Data shows if all students who transferred out of LISD in 2023-24 attended district schools, LISD would receive $17.9 million more in funding, but Chief Financial Officer Pete Pape said the number could be millions of dollars higher when factoring in weighted average daily attendance. Any additional funding gained from more students returning to the districts would be somewhat offset by costs incurred to hire staff; however, some of the funding could go toward student programs and services, Pape said. Beyond budgetary impacts, Superintendent
Basic allotment funding**
District
Net transfers*
Leander ISD 2,912
$17,937,920
Liberty Hill ISD 433
$2,667,280
Pflugerville ISD 6,128
$37,748,480
Round Rock ISD 4,917
$30,288,720
*NET TRANSFERS = STUDENTS TRANSFERRING OUT - STUDENTS TRANSFERRING IN **THESE AMOUNTS ARE SOLELY BASED ON THE BASIC ALLOTMENT PER STUDENT IN STATE FUNDING, WHICH HAS REMAINED $6,160 PER STUDENT SINCE 2019.
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