Education
Leander ISD unveils design for two buildings Leander ISD officials presented the design and preliminary renderings for two new buildings for its Science Materials Center and 18+ Transition Services program at a March 7 board meeting. Zooming out The new facilities are needed as the current Science Materials Center is too small to store and distribute science kits for a growing number of elementary campuses. Additionally, the 18-plus program for special education students lacks a permanent location, Superintendent Bruce Gear- ing said in an interview with Community Impact. The adjacent buildings may allow students in the 18-plus program to work in the Science Materials Center, Gearing said. Zooming in The $22.2 million 18-plus Transition Services
LISD reverses changes to off-campus PE Leander ISD will continue to offer off-campus physical education for dance students next school year after parents and students expressed their concerns over the decision to discontinue the program. What happened On March 5, district officials informed affected families it would not remove the dance program from off-campus PE options, said Daniel Cernero, LISD assistant director of communications. The decision comes after several stu- dents danced for the board of trustees during a Feb. 15 meeting as a form of protest. Some dance students said they would be forced to choose between their education and dance career, and possibly leave the district.
18+ Transition Services building
Science Materials Center
CARRIAGE HILLS TRL.
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building will include classrooms, apartment living spaces, sensory spaces, a fitness room, common areas, a commercial cooking lab and a sales lab where students can sell their creations. Additionally, the new Science Materials Cen- ter will cost $19.8 million and include training facilities for curriculum staff, work spaces, storage areas and a loading dock. Located on 9.1 acres of land off New Hope Drive next to the district’s central transportation facility, both buildings are funded by the district’s 2023 bond.
Leander ISD to begin hiring for hard-to-fill positions
Approved positions The following additional positions were approved for the 2024-25 school year:
year before the district’s fiscal year 2024-25 budget is adopted, Superintendent Bruce Gearing said. Beginning the hiring process early will allow the district to find the most qualified candidates for positions that are traditionally hard to fill, he said. “The longer we leave them unfilled, the more difficult it is for us to fill them. These are in parts of the district that are difficult to find people,” Gearing said in an interview with Community Impact.
Leander ISD will begin hiring for 27 new full-time positions ahead of next school year as the dual language and special education programs, and the Early College High School experience growth. The overview The board’s votes at meetings on March 7 and March 28 allowed the district to start hiring for $1.8 million in additional positions for next school
special education teachers 10
dual language/bilingual teachers 4 Early College High School positions 6 speech language pathologists 3
2 psychologists 1 diagnostician 1 occupational therapist
SOURCE: LEANDER ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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