EDUCATION BRIEFS
News from local schools
HIGHLIGHTS AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE The board of trustees voted against increasing tuition and fee rates for in-district students at a meeting in April. Trustees also voted to lower rates for out-of-district and out-of-state students, o cials announced in a released statement April 20. Tuition will remain at $67 per credit hour for ACC students for the 2023-24 school year—with fees, it totals $85 per credit hour. AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE A new degree in cybersecurity is being o ered by Austin Community College beginning in the fall. The Bachelor of Applied Sciences program is designed to ll workforce gaps in the industry and was created for professionals with a related associate’s degree, according to a May 2 announcement from the school. LEANDER ISD The district is expecting an increase in its recapture payments to the state with recent projections sitting around $50 million, LISD Chief Financial O cer Pete Pape said. The district originally anticipated it would send around $36 million in recapture payments to the state. The average daily attendance has been lower than expected, bumping that gure up to an estimated $51 million, Pape said at the April 27 meeting. ROUND ROCK ISD Community members may soon have new ways to engage with trustees of the Round Rock ISD school board. Trustees approved the exploration of holding additional town halls, listening sessions, neighborhood meetings and other forms of two-way communication with community members during an April 20 meeting. Potential topics include the board’s vision for the district as well as values, school nances and the responsibilities of the board. Austin Community College board of trustees will meet June 5 at 3 p.m. at 5930 Middle Fiskville Road, Austin. 512-223-7613 www.austincc.edu Leander ISD board of trustees will meet May 25 at 6:15 p.m. at 300 S. West Drive, Leander 512-570-0000. www.leanderisd.org Round Rock ISD board of trustees will meet May 18 at 5:30 p.m. at 300 Lake Creek Drive, Round Rock. 512-464-5000 www.roundrockisd.org MEETINGS WE COVER NUMBER TO KNOW Leander ISD's anticipated recapture payment to the state $50 million
LISD breaks ground on Elementary School No. 30
BY ZACHARIA WASHINGTON
LEANDER ISD District o cials celebrated the start of construction for Elementary school No. 30 on April 28 with a groundbreaking ceremony. What you need to know: Located near Devine Lake Park close to the Bagdad Road and San Gabriel Parkway intersection, ES No. 30 is intended to address LISD’s quickly growing district—which is all taking place in the northern portion. District o cials said the school will have the capacity to hold 800 students, which will tackle issues of overcrowding in nearby schools. Once construction on the school reaches completion, it will be LISD’s fth new school in the last ve years to accommodate substan- tial growth in the district, according to an April 28 news release. Funding for the school is available through the district’s savings from the 2017 and 2007 bond packages. What they’re saying: “As LISD continues to grow, I’m grateful to celebrate the construction of Elementary School 30 out of bond District to retain its library assistants at some campuses
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Leander ISD’s Elementary School No. 30 is scheduled to open in fall 2024. ZACHARIA WASHINGTON COMMUNITY IMPACT
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KEEPING STAFF After an April 12 decision by Round Rock ISD to eliminate all library assistants, district o cials in late April said some campuses will retain one part-time library assistant. Those campuses include: • Title I elementary and middle schools • Elementary and middle schools with more than 650 students savings,” Superintendent Bruce Gearing said in the release. “We are fortunate to be able to provide facilities for our incredible students and sta with input and support from our community.” Next steps: Elementary School No. 30 is scheduled to welcome its rst students in August 2024.
BY BROOKE SJOBERG
ROUND ROCK ISD To deal with budgetary constraints projected for the 2023-24 school year, the district will reduce the number of cam- puses that have library assistants. Maritza Gallaga, Round Rock ISD interim chief of public a airs and communication, said the move is largely due to the discontinuation of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding. RRISD received $29.12 million in ESSER funding in 2021. The district allocated the federal money to fund certain sta ng positions in 2022 with plans to reabsorb the costs into the budget after funds ran out. The decision came after commu- nity members spoke out against an
SOURCE: ROUND ROCK ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
April 12 decision to cut all library assistant positions due to funding constraints. RRISD teacher Tammy Conrad told the board that with- out library assistants, librarians would be tasked with the work of two people, reading an email from a colleague regarding the announcement. “She wishes that these people knew that librarians can do their job best when they have assistants to help them,” Conrad said.
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CEDAR PARK FAR NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION • MAY 2023
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