Leander ISD officials are considering implementing cost-saving measures such as closing and repurposing campuses and updating staffing guidelines.
Some context: District officials presented three pathways to the board of trustees in May that could net the district millions of dollars in savings, including closing and repurposing Cypress, Faubion and Steiner Ranch Elementary schools. The pathways were determined due to LISD's shifting enrollment patterns, uneven facility utilization aper-pupil spending variances.
What they're saying: District officials organized three town hall-style community conversations in August with the impacted campuses. Cypress Elementary parents expressed concerns with how district officials have calculated operating capacities, enrollment projections and proposed campus repurposing, citing issues with the transparency of the process.
A sneak peak: During the Sept. 9 board workshop meeting, officials will:
Provide updates on the long-range plan
Walk through the budget development process
Look at how functional capacities are derived
Synthesize community feedback
Looking ahead: The board is slated to review feedback from the community conversations Sept. 18 and vote on the optimization actions Oct. 9.
Architects chosen for renovations at Round Rock High School, other campuses
Cedar Ridge and Round Rock High schools, as well as several middle and elementary school campuses in Round Rock ISD, will be renovated in the coming years, using funds approved in the 2024 bond election.
What happened?: The district's board of trustees approved contracts for architects to design these renovations and additions in August, via consent.
The overview: Trustees approved architect contracts for renovations and additions at seven campuses Aug. 21, district documents show, totaling just over $14.8 million. The costs of the contracts are included in the overall budgeted amount for each project.
Williamson County officials approve $702M budget, tax rate increase
Williamson County commissioners approved a $702.4 million budget and supporting tax rate of $0.413776 per $100 valuation for fiscal year 2025-26 at a Sept. 3 meeting.
What residents should know: The newly approved tax rate is the highest rate commissioners can adopt without calling for an election. It is a 3.4% increase over FY 2024-25’s rate.
Using the new tax rate, a resident’s estimated county property tax bill for the upcoming fiscal year comes out to $1,556, based on the median property value of $358,542, according to county documents.
This is an increase of approximately $122 per year from FY 2024-25.
What happened: The final budget includes two changes from the last budget workshop.
At the Sept. 3 meeting, commissioners unanimously approved removing money allocated for a county vehicle that was already delivered this year, coming out to around $87,000.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey also proposed adding $17.9 million to the general fund for the Capital Improvement Plan and the Long-Range Transportation Plan.
‘This will save lives’: New Texas laws require summer camps to remove cabins from floodplains
Two months after 25 campers and two counselors died in the historic July 4 flooding at Camp Mystic, Gov. Greg Abbott signed three new laws Sept. 5 that he said will “make youth camps safer” and ensure Texas communities are better prepared for future disasters. The flood victims' families attended the Sept. 5 bill signing ceremony in Austin.
The details: Under the two-pronged camp safety package, summer camps are required to remove existing cabins from floodplains by Jan. 1.
Camps must also develop and annually update comprehensive emergency plans, set up warning systems to notify campers if something is wrong and install ladders so campers can climb on cabin roofs during floods.
Looking ahead: Two other disaster preparedness bills, as well as legislation designed to regulate Texas’ multibillion-dollar THC industry, did not pass during the recent special legislative session, which ended around 1 a.m. Sept. 4.
When asked Sept. 5 if he planned to call a third legislative overtime to continue work on those policies, Abbott told reporters to "stay tuned."
