Leander ISD parents ask district to hold off on plan that would reduce number of schools
LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — Tuesday night Steiner Ranch parents packed a Leander ISD cafeteria to talk about the district's 10-year plan. They want it to reconsider plans that would expand resources on its north side and potentially lead to overcrowding in its southern portion.
This was the latest of several forums for parents and residents to give feedback on LISD's Long-Range Plan, which lays out growth and develop in the district for the next decade.
The item parents showed up to discuss was the potential to repurpose several campuses as other district facilities.
This would be made possible by consolidating some campuses.
Crestina Hardie, chief of communications for LISD, said the current proposal has four to five buildings that could be repurposed.
Hardie said doing this would save money that would be used to build brand new campuses.
"If we are able to implement parts of a long range plan successfully….we can stave off building an additional middle school and then postpone the building of an additional High School," Hardie said.
Heather Tankersley is a parent in LISD and helped organize an online petition against the change and the group SaveOurFourPointsSchools.
Tankersley said she and other parents began looking deeper into the plan after noticing an alleged contradiction with population projections.
She said by closing at least two schools in the southern portion of the district, overcrowding could be highly likely.
Tankersley said she and other parents went to the forum to encourage the district to wait two to three years before rearranging and renovating facilities.
She estimated that buffer would give the district time to assess how to accommodate babies born during the pandemic turning school age, and what impact housing developments soon to be complete could have on LISD.
"We're seeing a big increase in the population of young kids, and if you take away our schools, where are you going to put them?" Tankersley said.