Catch up on the latest stories from Eanes ISD, Lake Travis ISD and Leander ISD.
Eanes ISD adopts 2026-27 budget, postpones raises
Eanes ISD is projected to head into the 2026-27 fiscal year with a financial surplus, following the board of trustees' adoption of the budget June 23.
EISD's new Chief Financial Officer Pete Pape provided three budget scenarios tied to possible compensation plans. The board voted 5-2 for Option 1 which included no compensation increase. Pape said there was $1.5 million in revenues baked into the budget for the sale of a piece of district land, which has not yet been finalized. The vote for Option 1 included removing the land sale revenues for a general fund surplus of about $80,000.
The board also postponed voting on a compensation plan until the Aug. 18 meeting, when it will consider a one-time payment for eligible staff.
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Lake Travis ISD OKs $153M budget, proposes lowest tax rate in district history
Homeowners in Lake Travis ISD may see an increase in their tax bill this year, despite the district proposing a lower tax rate. The LTISD board of trustees approved the fiscal year 2026-27 budget and discussed the proposed tax rate at a June 17 meeting.
The general fund includes $150.96 million in revenues and $152.7 million in expenditures, resulting in a projected $1.2 million shortfall.
The proposed tax rate for FY 2026-27 is $1.0329 per $100 valuation, a slight decrease from the previous rate of $1.0397. However, homeowners may pay more in school district taxes due to increased property values. A homeowner of a property with the average taxable value of $579,691 could expect to pay $5,988 in taxes, according to district documents. This is approximately a $300 increase from FY 2025-26, or 5.12%.
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Leander ISD adopts 2026-27 budget with $9.9M shortfall
Leander ISD will head into the 2026-27 school year with a $9.9 million shortfall, following the board of trustees' adoption of the budget during its June 18 meeting.
District documents show that the budget includes $465.9 million worth of revenues against $476.2 million worth of expenditures and $350,000 for other uses, resulting in the $9.9 million shortfall.
The adopted shortfall is lower than the most recent projection of nearly $10.7 million, presented to the board May 21. Executive Director of Business Gina Mitschke said the administration was able to incorporate previously identified reductions to "fine-tune" the current projections.
The board will next adopt the tax rate in August, once the district receives the certified property values from the appraisal district in July and a public hearing is held. Current projections show an unchanged tax rate of $1.0869 per $100 valuation.
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New data shows Eanes ISD outperformed the state in all STAAR tests
Newly released data from the Texas Education Agency shows that Eanes ISD students outperformed the state in the 2026 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, scores, but saw some internal declines year over year.
Data for EISD shows that the district's "approaches grade level" scores outperformed the state in every subject in both 2025 and 2026. The district's highest passage rate was biology at 99%, compared to the state's 93%.
Year over year, EISD's "approaches grade level" scores were the same or higher in every subject with the exception of:
- Third, fifth and seventh grade math
- Third, fourth and sixth grade reading
- Eighth grade social studies
- Algebra I, English I and U.S. History
EISD saw the most significant dip in seventh grade math, dropping seven percentage points from 2025.
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Lake Travis ISD outperforms state in spring STAAR scores
Lake Travis ISD’s State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness results show improvements year over year and gains compared to statewide results.
The greatest decline was seen in eighth grade social studies and sixth grade reading, with rates dropping four percentage points. Although scores declined slightly, they are higher than the state average.
The TEA administers end-of-course exams in Algebra I, Biology, English I and II and U.S. History for high school students. LTISD outperformed the state in every subject.
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New data shows Leander ISD outperformed state in some STAAR tests
Data for Leander ISD shows that the district's approaches grade level State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness scores outperformed the state in every subject in both 2025 and 2026.
Year-over-year, LISD's approaches grade level scores were the same or higher in every subject with the exception of:
- Third, sixth, seventh and eight grade math
- Third, fourth and sixth grade reading
- Eighth grade social studies
LISD officials reviewed its EOC accelerated instruction program during a June 4 board meeting, noting that in 2025-26 a variety of academic interventions were provided as necessary. This summer, LISD is planning more interventions including an EOC re-tester prep course, an Algebra I prep academy for rising ninth graders, a Logic League for rising third graders at Title One campuses, and asynchronous learning opportunities.
