Starting in 2026-27, Leander ISD campuses that have fewer than 400 or 500 students will trigger one of two low-enrollment thresholds that identify next steps to take in order to prevent further enrollment decline and possible campus consolidation.

The board of trustees approved the two thresholds during its Dec. 11 meeting in a 6-1 vote, with trustee Paul Gauthier casting the dissenting vote.

The gist

LISD officials are projecting multimillion dollar budget shortfalls over the next several years, and consolidating campuses that have lower enrollment has been at the forefront of recent budget discussions.

The board previously discussed enrollment thresholds that could adjust staffing guidelines, or the ratio of staff needed to effectively serve a campus, as one cost-saving measure. Based on the thresholds, some campuses could adjust librarians, receptionists, registrars, assistant principals, counselors or instructional coaches to part-time roles.


Per the approved thresholds:
  • Threshold 1: Campuses that fall below 500 students will trigger the low-enrollment Phase 1 model, which includes adjusting staff levels and implementing mitigation strategies to prevent further decline. Based on current enrollment projections, Block House Creek, Cox, Cypress, Giddens, Grandview Hills, Naumann and Westside elementaries are under this threshold.
  • Threshold 2: Campuses that fall below 400 students will trigger the low-enrollment Phase 2 model, which includes a formal review process for potential consolidation. Based on current enrollment projections, Faubion, River Ridge and Steiner Ranch elementaries are under this threshold.
District staff worked with campus leadership to look at what similar districts have done and align with Texas Association of School Boards guidelines to create the thresholds, Chief Human Resources officer Rachel Mackey said.

"It's not just about, 'Cut every position in half.' It's not about getting rid of programs. It's about doing things differently," Mackey said. "Whether its shared responsibilities, shared [full-time positions] from two different campuses, there's a lot of different ways that we could go about doing this."

What to expect

With the thresholds now approved, the board will hold a special meeting Dec. 17 to consider consolidating Faubion Elementary with Westside Elementary and Steiner Ranch Elementary with Bush Elementary and River Ridge Elementary.