Tucked away in the Leander High School library, an LHS parent asked a simple question after an hour-long conversation about the hopes and dreams for Leander ISD students and schools.

“How are we going to get students to provide input?” Stacy Komendera asked LISD staff during the districts second Community Conversation on Student Experience. “If you send it to a teenager’s email, it’s going to sit there with 30 other emails.”

Now, the conversation that began Feb. 10 among more than 20 people will extend to the entire Leander High School feeder pattern, especially students. 

Community members, parents, students, staff and teachers connected with schools in the LHS feeder pattern (Camacho ES; Giddens ES; Knowles ES; Leander MS; Leander HS; Mason ES; Running Brushy MS; Winkley ES and Whitestone ES), can now join the community conversation on ThoughtExchange through Feb. 24 at 11:59 p.m.

“We know the best way to connect with people is through peer groups,” Superintendent of Schools Bruce Gearing, Ed.D. said. “We need our Leander ISD family to help us extend this critical conversation out into our community. We want to hear from as many people as possible because everyone has a voice.”

The LHS meeting was the second of six for LISD, connecting with each feeder pattern. During the meetings, attendees break into small groups to spark discussions about the future of schools in our community. They share their hopes and dreams with the other participants before launching into ThoughtExchange, the virtual tool for open-ended responses to the question: “What are the most important things our schools should do for each and every student?” 

In ThoughtExchange, participants can submit as many ideas, opinions, and comments as they choose, while also reviewing and rating the submissions of other participants. The district will share a complete report from the LHS feedback on March 4 and a complete report from the entire school district on June 10. 

The remaining four feeder patterns on the following schedule:

  • Vandegrift High School on Feb. 17, 6 p.m. in the cafeteria;
  • Cedar Park High School on Feb. 18, 6 p.m. in the cafeteria;
  • Rouse High School on Feb. 24, 6 p.m. in the cafeteria; and
  • Glenn High School on March 2, 6 p.m. in the cafeteria.