Starting in 2026-27, Leander ISD campuses that have fewer than 400 or 500 students will trigger one of two low-enrollment thresholds that identify next steps to take in order to prevent further enrollment decline and possible campus consolidation. 

The gist: The board previously discussed enrollment thresholds that could adjust staffing guidelines, or the ratio of staff needed to effectively serve a campus, as one cost-saving measure. 

• Threshold 1: Campuses that fall below 500 students will trigger the low-enrollment Phase 1 model, which includes adjusting staff levels and implementing mitigation strategies to prevent further decline. Based on current enrollment projections, Block House Creek, Cox, Cypress, Giddens, Grandview Hills, Naumann and Westside elementaries are under this threshold.
• Threshold 2: Campuses that fall below 400 students will trigger the low-enrollment Phase 2 model, which includes a formal review process for potential consolidation. Based on current enrollment projections, Faubion, River Ridge and Steiner Ranch are under this threshold. 

Longtime Liberty Hill resident Tami Spearman opened Simply Home Boutique in 2012 to give back to the community and expand retail offerings. 

Quote of note: “The store created a place where we can love on women locally and share Jesus with them and that was really the premise of why we opened,” Spearman said. 

What they offer: The faith-based business sells a selection of apparel, accessories, home goods, cookware, packaged food, gifts and holiday decor. Shoppers can find brands like Caren Bath and Body and enewton jewelry at the boutique. 

Dig deeper: Spearman’s favorite aspect of owning a business in Liberty Hill is having loyal customers who have grown into friends and family. 

“Our Liberty Hill community is so unique and special and we all love living there and being a part of it,” Spearman said.

• 15280 Hwy. 29, Liberty Hill

Unlock MLS market research advisor Vaike O’Grady shared an end-of-year update on the Austin-Round Rock- Metropolitan Statistical Area's housing market, including where the MSA is seeing employment growth and projected housing trends. 

Major takeaways: According to Unlock MLS' year-to-date data on single-family homes:

• Homes spent 73 days on the market on average, nine days longer than 2024 YTD
• Total sales were down 5% from 2024 with 26,455 homes sold
• Median sale prices were down 1% from 2024 at $438,532

• Between 30,000-32,000 closed sales
• Between 10,000-12,000 active listings
• Upward of 5 months of inventory 
• Median sales prices of $410,000-$425,000

The Texas power grid is expected to hold up this winter, officials with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas said Dec. 9. This is due in part to “tremendous supply growth on the ERCOT grid,” ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas said, amid an influx of data centers coming to the state.

The overview: Since last winter, over 11,000 megawatts of generating capacity have been added to the ERCOT grid, Vegas said. That growth, which largely comes from battery storage and solar facilities, could be used to power about 2.8 million homes during periods of peak electric demand.

Zooming in: Under most weather conditions, there is a less than 2% chance of a grid emergency through February, ERCOT found.

However, Texas could be in trouble in the unlikely event that a repeat of Winter Storm Uri hits large parts of the state this winter, although ERCOT noted that the probability of such a severe storm happening again was "well under one percent." The February 2021 freeze devastated an unprepared power grid, resulting in nearly 250 deaths.