The Leander Independent School District officially cemented its current roll of board members March 22 when it canceled elections for the two unopposed seats.

Two positions—Place 1, held by Lisa Mallory, and Place 2, held by Don Hisle—were up for grabs in May. No challengers filed for the open seats, so the board approved canceling the school board trustee election.

At its regular meeting, the also board approved refinancing bonds issued in the early 2000s, standard protocol for school districts, according to LISD staff.

The district anticipates saving nearly $42 million through the bond refinancing, according to Donna Scott of Southwest Securities, LISD's financial advising firm.

"Based on market conditions and the bonds selected, we are projecting a savings of $41,994,026," she said. "We wanted to get in before the May elections, before the market is saturated."

LISD's refinanced bonds have a better chance of selling at lower interest rates if they do not compete with new bonds approved by voters in other districts and municipalities during the upcoming election, she said.

During public comments, the board heard from parents and residents concerned about bullying in the district. They formed the Facebook group "Stop Bullying at Leander ISD" and are rallying to get bullying issues on school board's agenda, as well as raise awareness and accountability at every campus.

"If the students don't feel safe going to the schools, then what is all this funding for?" said Leah Patrick, who filed a lawsuit against the school district after she said her son was beaten by four students two years ago at Leander High School. "Children are being cheated out of a safe education and their lives. All across the nation, not only at this school, there are kids dying because of bullying, and we want to change that."

At the meeting, the LISD school board also approved funding the replacement of all heat recovery units at Whitestone Elementary School with total cost of $1.6 million, funded by bond sales and cumulative savings from previous bond-related projects.