By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News
The Leander ISD administration recommends keeping schools open and updating staffing guidelines for low-enrolled elementary campuses for the next school year. If the LISD Board of Trustees votes to approve this recommendation, Steiner Ranch Elementary would be saved from being closed and consolidated with Laura W. Bush and River Ridge elementary schools.
The recommendation is for the LISD Board of Trustees to review and discuss at a special board meeting next week on September 30. A final vote is set for October 9.
At last week’s September 18 LISD Board of Trustees meeting, LISD Superintendent Bruce Gearing began to outline revising staffing guidelines at elementary campuses with low enrollment for 2026–27. But before Gearing got very far into the agenda item “Discussion of Long-Range Planning Recommendation”, Anna Smith, president, and several other trustees shared that they needed more time to review the documents from administration because they received them that afternoon. Board members shared that this discussion is extremely important for LISD and the community and that it deserves more time, review and consideration.
Rachel Lilla, SRE PTA vice president of communications, is cautiously optimistic about this recommendation, at least for next school year.
“It is difficult to understand the nuances of the administration’s presentation due to the fact they were unable to present to the board,” Lilla shared. “It was interesting to see the different possibilities for revenue generation and expenditure reductions that were included. However, small school models do not operate on just cutting staffing and creating fractions of positions. The true small school models need to be investigated to see how money can be saved and how student experience could be preserved. It looks like the Path that was to be recommended would keep schools open, do low enrollment staffing for next year (which is not clear at this point) followed by deeper analysis of facilities within the district. Unfortunately, it does not appear closure/consolidation would be permanently off the table based on the statements that followed.”
Documents shared with the board point out that the LISD administration came to this recommendation after years of in-depth analysis, strategic planning, and input from the board and district staff as well as community feedback. Three community feedback meetings were held – including the five-hour one on August 28 at Canyon Ridge Middle School where more than 500 in attendance and some 60 people shared their concerns with Gearing and LISD staff.
Why LISD administration believes this is the best option now:
● Responds to community concerns about closures
● Preserves neighborhood schools for now avoiding community disruption while addressing inefficiencies
● Provides estimated $1.8M in sustainable annual savings
● Maintains flexibility for future innovation
● Allows time to implement open enrollment (which LISD Board approved September 18, see story below) and other initiatives
How LISD administration’s recommendation would work if board passes it:
● Implement updated staffing guidelines for under-enrolled campuses,
aligning staffing ratios while maintaining essential student supports
● Emphasizes moderate savings and flexibility over drastic measures
● Through efficient facility use, some district programs and offices have the
potential to be co-located on low-enrolled campuses
○ Certain needs, such as New Hope High School and Police
Department space, cannot be easily co-located on these campuses
○ Further exploration of solutions for these needs will continue
● Builds a bridge toward future innovation and continued planning
“The recommendation is driven not only by the need to align facility usage with current and projected student enrollment but also by significant and growing budgetary constraints. As the district faces ongoing financial challenges—including a projected multi-million-dollar shortfall in the coming fiscal year—it has been critical to evaluate how underutilized campuses impact operational efficiency and long-term financial sustainability,” according to the administration documents surrounding this recommendation.
Lilla is one of the leaders of Speak Up for Steiner Ranch which is a parent-led initiative to stop school closures in LISD. The group collected more than 2,500 signatures on a petition to keep SRE open.
“As of right now, we are waiting to hear more about the resolution that was presented by the board and will be discussed further on the 30th,” Lilla said. “We will be encouraging citizens to speak during the comment portion of the meeting on the 30th as well.”
Looking ahead, if this recommendation is implemented, the district administration wants to develop further enrollment thresholds of when to implement low-enrollment staffing guidelines and to establish thresholds for when consolidation/closure could be triggered.
The recommendation is set to provide the foundation for the LISD Board of Trustees as they prepare to make a final decision on the long-range plan for low-enrollment elementary campuses during the regular board of trustees meeting on October 9.
LISD Board approves open enrollment
At September 18 Leander ISD Board of Trustees meeting, the board approved a policy change allowing families outside LISD boundaries to enroll starting in 2026–27. The board approved revisions to Policy FDA (Local). Until now, this option was only available to children of LISD employees and a few other limited scenarios. The updated policy – often referred to as “open enrollment” – positions LISD to welcome new families while continuing to prioritize resident students. Applications will be considered annually, with approvals based on factors, such as building capacity, staffing and student standing. Trustees emphasized that open enrollment will focus on targeting under-enrolled campuses while closing access at campuses that are already full or near capacity.
