The district’s Long-Range Planning Committee formed a subcommittee to determine what it might look like for LISD to enroll additional students. District officials provided an update on the subcommittee’s work at a Nov. 21 board of trustees meeting.
A closer look
The open enrollment subcommittee explored what factors LISD should evaluate, questions it should answer and potential obstacles or challenges it should review before drafting a policy to allow for open enrollment, said Mike Howard, LISD director of fine arts and administrative co-chair on the subcommittee.
The district would need to assess how open enrollment would impact its resources and staffing, including potential constraints on staff, and determine which campuses and grade levels could accept transfers based on their available space, Howard said.
Additionally, LISD would need to determine what the cost-benefit of open enrollment would be and what enrollment caps would be needed to ensure adequate space for current students, district officials said.
The subcommittee expressed a desire to learn from families who have transferred to other districts, including what factors influenced their decision.
Additionally, the subcommittee discussed implementing a marketing strategy to communicate the change and attract new families, Howard said.
What they’re saying
School board President Gloria Gonzales-Dholakia asked district officials to determine when the district might see a financial benefit from enrolling additional students and consider only opening campuses below a certain enrollment level.
LISD could charge an application or registration fee to families who want to enroll their students in the district, she said. Place 1 board member Trish Bode asked if LISD had considered charging tuition as some school districts have done.
Opening enrollment could provide more options for students to attend public school, Place 4 board member Anna Smith said. She mentioned the potential of state lawmakers passing a private school voucher program in the upcoming legislative session after failed attempts to do so in 2023.
“Our public schools are where it's at, so if we can provide open enrollment, and whether it attracts some kid from this district [or] this district, that means they’re making a choice to come to a public school, not go to a voucher, not go to a charter school,” Smith said.
Some context
For the past year, Leander ISD officials have discussed opening enrollment as the district sees declining enrollment in its central and southern portions where some campuses are being underutilized.
The district’s enrollment growth is projected to continue slowing over the next decade, according to a recent demographic update by Population and Survey Analysts, or PASA. More students are attending charter schools and other educational options, while smaller kindergarten classes are entering the district, PASA President Stacey Tepera said at an Oct. 24 board of trustees meeting.
Over the last 10 school years, the district has seen a 171% increase in the number of students residing in the district transferring to attend charter schools or other public school districts. This comes as six new charter schools opened in the last five years and several more are planned for the area.
The impact
Opening enrollment could bring more revenue to LISD as districts are funded based on the average number of students who attend class each day.
The district saw a decrease of $4.48 million in state revenue due its enrollment being lower than projected, Chief Financial Officer Pete Pape said at the Nov. 21 meeting. This contributed to a nearly $7 million increase to the district’s budget shortfall for fiscal year 2024-25, which now sits at almost $28.8 million.
Something to note
Several districts in the Austin area and across the state have opted to open enrollment as they observe plateauing or declining enrollment.
Round Rock ISD opened enrollment to students outside its boundaries in 2022. Frisco ISD—a previously fast-growing district in the Dallas area—recently announced it would open enrollment to generate more revenue amid lower enrollment and a mounting budget shortfall.
Next steps
The LRPC will present its final considerations regarding open enrollment to the board of trustees in January, Chief Operations Officer Jeremy Trimble said.
At that time, the LRPC will also share updates on optimizing district facilities and building innovative academics, which the board of trustees requested information on in September, he said.
In September, district officials said LISD would need to establish open enrollment by January to begin accepting students next school year.
