Leander ISD is working on changes to middle school attendance zones for the 2020-21 academic year, when Danielson Middle School is scheduled to open in the northern part of the district next to Glenn High School.

The school board discussed a new draft zoning scenario and provided feedback at a meeting March 7.

The first scenario was presented at the Feb. 21 meeting for which LISD gathered community feedback over the past few weeks. Scenario A would split two of the nine middle schools among high schools: Stiles Middle School students would split between Rouse High School and Vista Ridge High School, while Leander Middle School students would attend Glenn High School and Leander High School, according to district documents.

Scenario A is predicted to result in crowding at Cedar Park Middle School, said Jimmy Disler, LISD’s chief facilities and operations officer, at the March 7 meeting.

In feedback collected through the ThoughtExchange survey platform prior to the March 7 meeting, community members indicated the priority of keeping the same students together through elementary, middle and high school, according to meeting documents.

Debuted at the meeting March 7, Scenario B would have similar feeder pattern results with only Stiles and Leander middle schools splitting students among high schools, but it also addresses some community concerns that were raised through the feedback process. This second scenario would minimize potential overcrowding in Cedar Park Middle but possibly exacerbate future crowding at Stiles and Running Brushy middle schools, according to meeting documents.

“[Scenario B] would eliminate the crowding at Cedar Park Middle School,” Disler said.

Board members discussed tweaks to Scenario B going forward, such as moving neighborhood codes 2000 and 2010 to Cedar Park Middle; 1825, 1845 and 1860 to Henry Middle School; and 1625 to Wiley Middle School and rezone to Rouse High, Disler said.

“I think we made a lot of progress, not just tonight, but we’ve made a lot of progress,” LISD Superintendent Dan Troxell said.

The two revised maps—Scenario C and Scenario D—are planned to come before the board at April 4, followed by the opportunity to gather public feedback.

You may view the full presentation below.