As part of a report from the Long-Range Facility Planning Committee in May, committee members recommended a range of improvement projects around the district, including full reconstructions of multiple campuses.
Repurposing Eanes Elementary into an early education center was also proposed. For Eanes Elementary parent Jon Selden, this raised many concerns.
“I’m totally for every single change they proposed except for closing Eanes Elementary, and that makes the entire plan completely dead on arrival,” Selden said.
Board President Kim McMath said the district has had no further discussion on the item given the unexpected resignation of former Superintendent Jeff Arnett over the summer.
“We will look at both cost but also the community’s either support or concern about any of these concepts,” McMath said.
To implement any changes, the district would likely require voter-approved bonds, and the district is still in the process of forming a bond advisory committee to review the plans and create bond packages for the board to consider, McMath said.
Diving in deeper
Student enrollment in EISD has declined since 2019-20. This is in spite of the district’s efforts to bolster enrollment using transfer students. In the 2024-25 school year, there were approximately 750 transfer students accepted into the district—a number that has consistently grown since 2020.
Texas lawmakers increased the base amount of per-student state funding schools receive, called the basic allotment, from $6,160 to $6,215 under House Bill 2 in June. That money is allocated for staff pay, classroom materials and other specific uses.
The $55 increase falls over $1,200 short of what some public school advocacy organizations estimate is necessary to keep pace with inflation, but lawmakers said these targeted allotments would ensure money goes to the classroom.
“When we've raised the basic allotment only, ... we haven't seen those dollars always driven to the classroom,” Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, who sponsored HB 2 in the Senate, told Community Impact. “We made sure with our new allotments, that we achieve targeted strategies towards what will increase student outcomes and academics and what will also reward and protect our teachers, both with compensation and insurance coverage.”
Even so, EISD passed its annual budget in June with a $7.6 million shortfall, though a Sept. 23 budget update could put that number closer to $3.7 million, according to board documents.
Current situation
To keep district operations running following the departure of Arnett, the board elected interim Superintendent Tom Trigg on July 24. The board also approved a contract with JG Consulting in August, with the goal of approving a new superintendent by Nov. 18.
The superintendent search process includes community engagement efforts, such as in-person meetings and anonymous surveys. From this, JG Consulting will develop a rubric for the board to approve and consult to inform their decision.
“I think it will be multiple weeks, if not a month, of engagement in different forms with the community,” McMath said.
The firm assisted Dripping Springs ISD in hiring Holly Morris-Kuentz, who has held the role since 2021, and most recently assisted Lake Travis ISD officials in hiring Superintendent Curtis Null in May.
Going forward
Community engagement efforts began in September with an anonymous survey, available here. A town hall will also be held Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. in the Westlake Community Performing Arts Center for community members to provide input.
Applications for the superintendent search are expected to close in October, with candidate interviews and the final selection process scheduled to begin in October and November.
EISD officials said they could not provide a timeline for future consideration or discussion of the proposed renovation and repurposing plans proposed by the LRFPC as of press time. Initial plans from the LRFPC requested a Bond Advisory Committee to be formed by September for bond consideration in May or November 2026.
According to Eanes ISD officials, the tentative superintendent search timeline includes:
- September-October: Application portal opens, candidate screening begins, community engagement efforts begin
- October: Application portal closes, candidates reviewed
- October-November: Candidate interviews and final selection
- Nov. 18: Lone finalist is named at board meeting
