Dear Editor,

Last night, the Leander ISD board voted 4-2 to move forward with building Elementary Schools #31 and #32 in 2027.

Many Travisso residents spoke passionately in favor of a neighborhood school. A smaller group of community members raised concerns about the impact on families living near Mason Elementary. Others pointed to sobering facts about how much has changed since voters approved the schools in the 2023 bond, approval that was explicitly contingent on enrollment growth that has not materialized.

Time will tell whether this was the right decision. What is already clear is that the process has deepened community distrust in district leadership.

The board and our community deserve all the facts, laid out objectively. Instead, the administration chose, once again, to present a case for a predetermined outcome rather than a balanced analysis of risks and benefits. The presentation left out key information and did not respond to requests from community members and board members for a risk-benefit analysis and a full accounting of costs.

Trustee Fashokun voiced this concern at the meeting: “I heard a lot today from you [administration] is like ‘if,’ ‘may’ or ‘maybe’ and it just seems pretty speculative to me.” She added, “The presentation seems to be geared toward trying to show or prove certain points and so it weighs very heavily on the positives, but are we ready to have under-enrolled schools created?”

Some residents will welcome the outcome. But a decision this large deserves a process that earns public trust. If information can be withheld here, residents should ask which decisions come next, and whose community bears the consequences.