EDUCATION BRIEFS
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News from Leander ISD & Texas
“CONSIDERATION FOR SENIORS AND EIGHTH GRADERS WILL ABSOLUTELY BE THERE. WE’RE NOT GOING TO MOVE A STUDENT IN A FINAL YEAR.” QUOTE OF NOTE
District updates zoning scenarios LEANDER ISD The district updated the board of trustees on a revised scenario for new attendance zones March 23. The district began the rezoning process in December with the purpose of oering relief to schools expected to reach above capacity in the next several years in the northern and central portions of the district. In the latest scenario for rezoning, neighborhoods that are zoned to attend Glenn High School could be rezoned for Leander High School, while students living in Leander High neighborhoods and Vista Ridge High School neighborhoods could move to Cedar Park High School. In potential zoning changes for mid- dle schools, Danielson Middle School neighborhoods could be rezoned to either Leander Middle School or Wiley Middle School, Henry Middle School
ROAD TO REZONING The district is in the middle of rezoning to address enrollment growth in some schools. December: Board approves beginning the rezoning process February to March: District holds community forums to receive input April 17: Long-Range Planning Committee will consider updated rezoning scenario May 11: District sta will present scenario to board of trustees June 8: Trustees will vote on rezoning plan 2024-25 school year: New school boundaries will go into eect
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LEANDER ISD AREA SUPERINTENDENT LAURELYN ARTERBURY
HIGHLIGHTS LEANDER ISD Students will not have to make up the four days of classes canceled due to the winter storm that shut down schools Jan. 31-Feb. 2 after the LISD board of trustees approved waivers from the Texas Education Agency on Feb. 23. For the 2022-23 school calendar, LISD built in additional minutes to account for at least two bad weather days, and the TEA allows districts to request a waiver for missed days. TEXAS The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is oering a new low-interest loan, called the Future Occupations & Reskilling Workforce Advancement to Reach Demand, aimed at increasing the number of Texans who complete degrees for high-demand jobs. TEXAS Due to an evolving labor market and a shift in employers’ expectations, higher education experts believe a four-year degree is no longer the preferred option to vouch for students’ skills, and employers are increasingly seeking students with technical experience for the workforce, panelists said during a March 6 South by Southwest EDU Conference discussion titled “Expanding Pathways in Postsecondary Education.” Leander ISD board of trustees will meet April 13 and 27 at 6:15 p.m. at 300 S. West Drive, Leander. 512-570-0000. www.leanderisd.org Austin Community College board of trustees will meet May 1 at 3 p.m. at 6101 Highland Campus Drive, Bldg. 3000, Austin. 512-233-7000. www.austincc.edu MEETINGS WE COVER NUMBER TO KNOW people participated in community forums about the rezoning 300
SOURCE: LEANDER ISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT
to Cedar Park Middle School, Leander Middle to Running Brushy Middle School, and Stiles Middle School to Henry Middle. Superintendent Bruce Gearing said decisions regarding attendance zoning as well as the district’s long-range plan to address increased growth can be “exceptionally dicult to make.”
Leander ISD watches state education legislation
305 Denali Pass Dr suite c, Cedar Park, TX 78613
LEANDER ISD With the Texas Legis- lature still in session, the Leander ISD board of trustees has identied several areas it wants lawmakers to address, such as funding for special education programs, pre-K classes and fast- growth districts such as LISD. Colby Nichols with Ancyra Strategic Partners said several pieces of legisla- tion pertaining to the board’s priorities have been led. “Currently, I think I’m tracking over 1,000 bills at this point,” he said. LISD’s top priorities include increased funding for hiring sta and providing professional development,
monitoring student data privacy, and supporting legislation to ensure spe- cial education advocates and hearing ocers adhere to ethical standards and possess state qualications. Among the district’s areas of focus, ocials want to see amendments to House Bill 4545, which established requirements for schools to implement acceleration instruction, meant to help students improve their performance on end-of-year exams. The district has been calling for changes in the bill to allow for greater exibility related to 3-1 teacher-stu- dent ratios and the number of tutoring hours necessary for a student.
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Leander ISD outlined several goals for the 87th legislative session, which lasts until May 29.
Funding for special education, pre-K and fast- growth districts Funding for hiring sta and professional development
Enforcing ethical standards and qualications for special education advocates and hearing ocers Amending House Bill 4545, which pertained to tutoring requirements for students who did not perform well on state exams
Ensuring student data privacy SOURCE: LEANDER ISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT
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CEDAR PARK LEANDER EDITION • APRIL 2023
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