Education
BY BRITTANY ANDERSON & CHLOE YOUNG
EISD shares 3 updates on upcoming school closure Further considerations are being made to accommodate students and staff impacted by the upcoming Barton Creek Elementary and Valley View Elementary blend in Eanes ISD, per updates shared at the Feb. 25 board meeting by adminis- tration staff members Miguel Garcia, Kristy Sailors and Laurie Lee. Some background The board unanimously voted Jan. 14 to close Valley View and blend the campus with Barton Creek as part of a cost-saving measure to alleviate EISD’s million-dollar projected budget shortfall in 2025-26 and beyond. The action taken Per agenda documents, officials are planning for the blended campus to have 33 full-size class- rooms, including two portable learning studios
LTISD names interim superintendent Former Round Rock ISD Superintendent Steve Flores will temporarily lead Lake Travis ISD as the district begins searching for a new superintendent. At a Feb. 26 special meeting, the board of trustees voted to appoint Flores as LTISD’s interim superintendent beginning Feb. 28 following the resignation of former Superin- tendent Paul Norton in early February. Executive search firm JG Consulting will now begin the district’s superintendent search, with the goal to name a finalist by the end of the school year. “I want to assure the staff that while I’m here that, the change, you won’t even notice it,” Flores said at the meeting. “I know that there’s a lot of great things happening here already. I recognize and I respect this destination district.”
Safety efforts underway Officials are working with the EISD Police Department on various traffic safety efforts, including:
Installing an overflow parking lot at Barton Creek
Installing a flashing “school zone” sign on Patterson Road
Installing crosswalk signage on Emma Avenue between Barton Creek Elementary and West Ridge Middle School
SOURCE: EANES ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
with full-size classrooms and restrooms inside, which are slated to be delivered by June 1. Three additional portable learning studios— totaling six classrooms with restrooms—are also set to be delivered by June 1 to relocate the Child Development Center. The portables will not take away Barton Creek playground space, Garcia said, and will feature nonscalable fencing, accessibility ramps and require badge access.
LTISD predicts budget cuts amid $7.5M shortfall
Budget shortfall projections
-$4M -$5M -$6M -$7M $0 -$8M
Lake Travis ISD is expecting to make budget cuts going into next fiscal year amid a nearly $7.5 million projected budget shortfall. The budget change follows a projected 5.5% decline in property values in the area from new Travis Central Appraisal District projections, said Pam Sanchez, assistant superintendent for business services for LTISD, at a Feb. 19 board of trustees meeting.
What’s happening The updated appraisal projections are antici- pated to result in a $3.5 million net loss in revenue for LTISD next fiscal year, after accounting for a $13.5 million decrease to the district’s recapture payment. The district has not determined whether it will cut positions that are currently filled but does not plan to lay off staff, Sanchez said.
2024-25 2025-26 2026-27 2027-28 School year
SOURCE: LAKE TRAVIS ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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LAKE TRAVIS - WESTLAKE EDITION
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