Leander ISD’s board of trustees began discussing attendance zoning for elementary school No. 26, which is slated to open for the 2017-18 school year.

Jimmy Disler, LISD’s executive director of operations, presented two preliminary draft zoning scenarios to trustees at a March 3 board workshop. The scenarios, which are likely to change after public input, were created using updated demographics data from Population and Survey Analysts, an agency that assists Texas school districts “in planning for long-range utilization of schools by projecting future student enrollment,” according to PASA.

PASA’s planning includes projections for new residential development, potential land use for undeveloped land, and enrollment growth and decline.

Disler said staffers launched the attendance zoning website the week of Feb. 29, and the site has already received a lot of traffic from parents.

Trustee Aaron Johnson said during the rezoning process the district should consider ways to address underutilized campuses. Johnson suggested the possibility of prolonging construction to benefit LISD’s “debt portfolio.”

“I’m not saying we shouldn’t build new schools,” Johnson said. “The question is when and how many. … I’m not proposing the answer—I’m seeing an opportunity.”

LISD staffers create maps for campus attendance zoning upon the school’s opening as well as maps for the district’s future when additional schools open. Trustee Trish Bode suggested separating the 2017-18 school year maps on the attendance zoning website to make them more clear for parents.

Veronica Sopher, LISD’s assistant superintendent of community and government relations, said an attendance zoning scenario will likely not be approved until the beginning of the summer, after public meetings seeking parent input have occurred.

LISD’s total enrollment for the 2015-16 school year is 37,079 students.