With the fall opening of a new transportation facility in the northern part of the district, Leander ISD plans to hire 16 employees for the facility, including 15 full-time positions and one part-time position.

The school board approved the early release of the positions at a May 16 meeting, allowing the district to start hiring for the jobs prior to the approval of the 2019-20 budget. The roles include vehicle mechanics, dispatch and more, according to LISD documents.

Funding for the construction of the north transportation facility, which aims to service the fastest-growing part of the district, was approved by voters in the 2017 bond, which allocated a total of $17.8 million for the project. The construction budget is $15 million, according to documents from the board’s May 2 meeting.

“It looks very good, the fueling covers are now going up,” said Jimmy Disler, LISD’s chief facilities and operations officer, at the May 2 meeting.

In June, the district expects to work on completing paving and flatwork, testing fueling systems and beginning landscape installation, according to meeting documents. After work began late last year, the north transportation facility is scheduled to open for the upcoming 2019-20 academic year, according to LISD documents.

In addition to giving the green light to new transportation staff, trustees approved the early release of four jobs in Child Nutrition Services for the new Larkspur Elementary School, at the May 16 meeting. Together, the 19 positions will have an approximate cost of $705,079, according to meeting documents. The four positions at Larkspur are funded by the district's food service budget.

The action was approved unanimously with trustee Pamela Waggoner absent.