Editor's note: According to Leander ISD officials, the following information was developed by district administration in alignment with the guidance and priorities developed by the Long-Range Planning Committee. The district formally concluded the LRPC's active role in January. Additionally, there are no current plans to reconvene the committee in its original form for the 2025-26 school year, but officials will continue to seek community involvement for long-range planning efforts. This story has been updated to reflect this information.

As Leander ISD continues to face budget struggles, district officials are utilizing framework from the Long-Range Planning Committee to optimize LISD facilities that could result in millions of dollars in savings.

Chief Operations Officer Jeremy Trimble presented these potential optimization actions—including combining some elementary schools and repurposing the vacant campuses for other district needs by 2026-27—during the May 29 board meeting.

This was a discussion item only, and no decisions have been made on what, if any, optimization actions will be taken.

Breaking it down

Per agenda documents, some of the district challenges the committee considered include:

• Shifting enrollment patterns: Some areas of the district are seeing consistent growth, while other areas have steady enrollment declines.
• Uneven facility utilization: Not all campuses are operating at an efficient capacity of 60%.
• Per-pupil spending variances: The cost to educate each student increases at schools serving fewer students.
• Program access: Enrollment and utilization disparities could lead to limited access to programs and support services, especially at low-enrolled campuses.

Trimble said the LRPC identified under-enrolled campuses operating below 60% capacity using Public Education Information Management System data, or PEIMS.The committee reviewed a list of key district space needs and connected this to potential availability at under-enrolled campuses, creating three possible paths for LISD to address challenges.

Path 1

Path 1 could net $4.1 million in savings by consolidating Faubion Elementary to Westside Elementary, Cypress Elementary to Naumann Elementary, and Steiner Ranch Elementary between Laura W. Bush Elementary and River Ridge Elementary.

Based on 2025-26 projected enrollment data and current staffing, the combined campuses could see:

• Faubion to Westside: streamlining 21.5 staff and an enrollment of 735 students
• Cypress to Naumann: streamlining 18 staff and an enrollment of 868 students
• Steiner Ranch to Laura W. Bush and River Ridge: streamlining 23 staff, and an enrollment of 598 students at Laura W. Bush and 578 students at River Ridge

The three vacant campuses could then be repurposed. Faubion was identified for New Hope High School; Cypress for the district police department, emergency management, administrative services and professional development; and Steiner Ranch for a tuition-based pre-K.Paths 2 and 3

Path 2 would implement updated staffing guidelines for low-enrolled elementary campuses, netting $1.7 million in savings.

LISD’s current elementary staffing guidelines—or the number of staff needed to effectively serve each campus—are broken down by campuses that have up to 449 students, between 450-999 students, and 1,000 or more students.

The updated model would change the model for campuses between 350 and 500 students and reduce the number of assistant principal, counselor, instructional coach, registrar, receptionist, art and performing art, librarian, gifted and talented, reading specialist, dyslexia and English as a Second Language and special education coordinator staff to one, or reduce roles to part-time.

The model could also allow for these staff to be shared between campuses instead.

"While I absolutely understand why a lot of our community is gravitating toward [this path], ... how do we do this and not completely overwhelm our staff?" trustee Francesca Romans said.

Path 3 would implement actions from both Path 1 and Path 2, netting $3.5 million in savings.

For the 2026-27 school year, this could look like:

• Consolidating Steiner Ranch to Laura W. Bush and River Ridge, and Faubion to Westside
• Repurposing Steiner Ranch and Faubion
• Updating staffing guidelines at Naumann and Cypress

"Path 3 gives you some flexibility," Trimble said. "We can preserve that community identity where feasible, ... and manage underutilization without a one-size-fits-all approach."

What they’re saying

Hundreds of community members have spoken against LISD closing or merging schools at board meetings over the last several months.

Cypress Elementary parent Nancy Stroder noted concerns with a potential enrollment of over 800 students on the combined campus, and said the neighborhood's walkability is "essential."

"Cypress is more than just a school; it's a cornerstone of our community," Stroder said during the May 29 meeting.

Trustee Paul Gauthier also requested Trimble and his team provide information on how closing the campuses would affect home values in the impacted neighborhoods.

Next steps

The board is slated to receive further long-range planning updates in June, August, September, January and February.

Community engagement initiatives are also slated for August and September, and potential May 2026 bond development could take place this fall.

Other future steps could include:

• June: open enrollment policy for 2026-27 drafted
• August: Citizens’ Facility Advisory Committee members approved
• September: board votes on optimization actions
• October-November: attendance zoning conducted for potential 2026-27 changes
• January: CFAC makes recommendations to the board
• February: board calls for a bond election