LEANDER, Texas — One of the fastest growing school districts in our area is looking at repurposing campuses.
It's been an ongoing conversation in Leander ISD because some campuses could see enrollment decline in the next few years.
It's all a part of LISD's long-range plan, stretching out over 10 years, and district leaders say they already have ideas for what these campuses could become.
This doesn't necessarily mean closing schools. But by repurposing, the district would look at turning existing schools into things like professional learning centers, early childhood centers or administration buildings, specifically around the Four Points area.
Officials told KVUE they hired a team of demographers to run the enrollment numbers. The results show some schools, like Laura Welch Bush Elementary, mainly in the southern part of the district, are expected to see enrollment decline over the next decade.
However, parents and community members say these numbers may not be fully accurate – something the superintendent agrees with in regards to projections that far out.
Another factor is if schools are being repurposed and students must be moved, what does that process look like?
"I don't question the integrity of the report. I get why they calculate the way they do for the general masses, but that's not working for all parts of the district. Waiting to calculate regeneration until it occurs isn't working; only using live census birth data isn't working. At one year out, they are predicting OK, but you are not building a one-year plan," said Whitney Coons, an LISD community member.
"I assure you that we are listening, because adding 700 students to a high school at one time is a challenge, and we acknowledge that and it changes a lot of things. So we are looking at ways that we can phase that in over time," said Dr. Bruce Gearing, LISD's superintendent.
School officials also say one of the biggest takeaways from Tuesday's meeting is that this is just a conversation – nothing is set in stone. But they want to keep families in the loop on the studies they are doing.
If you would like to read more, read the full plan.