Leander ISD considers school consolidations to address budget shortfall

LEANDER, Texas – A number of school districts across Texas are currently considering consolidating some campuses as they face challenges like declining enrollment and reduced federal funding.

One of those districts is Leander ISD, where school board trustees are currently facing an $18 million budget deficit and are considering ways to make up for the shortfall.

Three options for Leander ISD

What we know:

According to the district, there are three potential paths Leander ISD could take.

Plan 1

The first consists of consolidating under-enrolled schools to nearby campuses in order to save the district roughly $4.1 million. 

Under this plan, three elementary schools would close in the 2026-27 school year: Faubion, Cypress and Steiner Ranch Elementary schools.

Plan 2

The second path would focus on reducing personnel costs by cutting staff at under-enrolled schools and eliminating the position of assistant principal at campuses with fewer than 350 students. 

This route would save the district approximately $1.78 million.

Plan 3

The third path is a combination of the first two, resulting in an estimated savings of $3.55 million. 

Under this path, Faubion and Steiner Ranch Elementary schools would still close, and staffing changes would be implemented at other campuses on a case-by-case basis.

What’s next:

School board trustees were originally expected to make a final decision on the path forward for Leander ISD in October. 

On Thursday, school board trustees did not come to any final decisions. They’re expected to consider the issue of school consolidations again on December 11.

Leander ISD parents react

What they’re saying:

“We’ve seen deadlines pushed, changed, things that have been said and unsaid, and I think we all just want some clear, open lines of communication for the future,” said Arleigh Herrington, a Steiner Ranch Elementary school parent.

This week, parents delivered 2,600 letters to Leander ISD school board trustees, advocating for all campuses within the district to remain open, with some saying they don’t feel their concerns have been heard.

“When you pour your heart and soul into your words, it’s frustrating to feel like it’s not being heard,” said Herrington.

“Honestly, it’s kind of like screaming into the void,” said Kaycee Parker, a Steiner Ranch Elementary School parent.

Parents of students at Steiner Ranch Elementary like Herrington and Parker say the school should remain open, as taxpayers just spent money renovating the campus, and the school has a high accountability rating from the Texas Education Agency.

Steiner Ranch received an A rating in the 2024-25 school year, something that less than a third of elementary schools in the district were able to attain. But current enrollment at the campus is below the district average for elementary schools.

Parents like Parker and Herrington want trustees to hold off on making a decision until after open enrollment, something the district enacted for the 2026-27 school year, allowing for students to transfer from outside Leander ISD to campuses with available seats.

“We have open enrollment coming next year,” said Parker. “Give it the chance to save our school. That was the whole reason why you implemented it.”

Parents in attendance at the Leander ISD school board meeting on Thursday night echoed those sentiments.

School board trustees asked the community for grace as they turned to the agenda item of long-range planning. They said they understand the topic is a heavy one, but that no decisions have been made, and emphasized that the intention was to discuss their data and its implications in an open forum.

But during public comment, some parents expressed confusion around the planning, a process that has been underway for the past six months.

“Right now, the proposals around reduced staffing and possible school closures are genuinely confusing for many families, including mine,” said one Leander ISD parent.

Other parents accused Leander ISD trustees of taking up contentious issues like school consolidations at times when parents don’t have the bandwidth to engage, while questioning the suitability of the superintendent to be leading planning efforts when he has previously indicated he could be stepping down for a role in another state.

“If the district is as truly stable as he says, why is he looking for the exit?,” said one Leander ISD parent. “And then there’s the timing, summer, holiday season, basically every moment when parents are distracted, exhausted and running on caffeine and prayer, if he wanted low engagement, you nailed it.”