During its Aug. 22 meeting, the Leander ISD Board of Trustees agenda included:

Meeting Agenda
Meeting Recording

Spotlight on Learning: SELF 18+ Transition Services

The young adults in LISD’s SELF: 18+ Transition Services program took center stage for the first Spotlight on Learning for the 2024–25 year. These students showed how their goal-focused approach helps them transition into adulthood on a path to independence.

In total, the program currently serves 142 students between nine classrooms, working with teachers and job coaches.

Board Drops Tax Rate for LISD Community by 2+ Cents

Board Approves Tax Rate Reduction

🎬 7.C.4. Consider Approval of an Ordinance Adopting the 2024 Property Tax Rate

For the sixth-consecutive year, the Board has approved an overall tax rate decrease, providing tax relief for LISD property owners. The new rate – $1.0869 – is more than $0.02 lower than last year.

“This tax rate represents one that maximizes the available funds for students,“ Trustee Trish Bode said. “Reducing the M&O rate further would result in sending our local dollars back to the state through recapture, which also decreases what we have available to pay our teachers and staff.”

The tax rate is the combined total of $0.7569 on the maintenance and operations (M&O) side of the tax rate, which is used to fund the district’s day-to-day expenses, along with $0.3300 on the interest and sinking (I&S) side, which pays for bond debt.

As promised throughout the May 2023 bond election, the I&S side of the tax rate will remain flat at $0.33. Due to rising property values, the rate will generate additional funds to cover the annual I&S payment – including the 2023 Bond payment – and any remaining funds will be used to pay down the debt.

Previous Updates

Strategic Plan goal: Empowered Student Learning

🎬 7.A.1. Strategic Plan & District Improvement Plan Formative Review – Empowered Learning Part 1

Throughout the 2024–25 school year’s Board Meeting calendar, LISD will present a formative review of one goal within the five-year Strategic Plan and the District Improvement Plan. In this meeting, district administrators reviewed the Empowered Student Learning goal.

In Part 1 of a two-part presentation, Thursday’s meeting focused on three main objectives:

  • A student’s academic growth, including monitoring the growth over time, responding to it and being able to effectively communicate progress.
  • Supporting assessment literacy around the types of assessments included in the Leander ISD Assessment Framework and how to best utilize the data.
  • Connecting assessment and data literacy as tools to build and strengthen both ownership of learning and effective collaborative teams, or professional learning communities (PLCs), among teachers and staff.

Legislative Committee Update

Legislative Committee Update

As the Texas Legislature gears up for its upcoming session, public education is set to be a focal point of debate and action. Legislative consultant Colby Nichols with Ancira Strategic Partners explained some key components that could help shape the Board’s legislative priorities.

The passage of House Bill (HB)1605 has given The State Board of Education more authority over the review and adopting of instructional materials. The intent of the bill is to provide high-quality instruction aligned to state standards, however no resources have been approved yet.

Other topics of discussion include:

  • Teacher recruitment and retention
  • The success and deficiencies of the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA)
  • A push for early literacy in math instruction
  • Policy-making regarding digital learning

The Board’s legislative committee is taking an innovative community engagement approach this year. To build trust and gather feedback, the district will host a series of Legislative Listening Circles. Through this process, community members can express opinions, share ideas and tell their stories, while staff listens for trends. The collection of insights will then be used to help the Board shape its legislative priorities. More details including dates and times are coming soon. 

Previous Updates

Bond 2023: Additional Project Funds Released For Science Materials and 18+ Building Project

🎬 5.C. Consider Approval of Guaranteed Maximum Price #2 for Science Materials and 18+ Transitional Services Building Project

The May 2023 bond included funds for new buildings for the Science Materials Center and the Special Education 18+ Transition Services program, with VLK Architects approved to design them and Joeris Construction to build them.

As part of the consent agenda item, Trustees approved the second Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) contract for these new buildings, allowing for the release of Bond funds already allocated for this project as part of the May 2023 bond.

This GMP will go toward the construction phase of this modernization project. Construction work on this project is anticipated to begin later this school year.

GMP #2

  • Science Materials Center & Special Education 18+ Transition Services Buildings: $32,737,659 (for a total GMP of $33,292,440).

As a resource to the #1LISD community to learn more about these projects and track their progress, the district has created a Bond & Construction Projects page. Specific project pages include an overall scope of the project, the status of the project, a timeline, information about contractors and vendors, and more.

Bond & Construction Projects

Previous Updates

LISD Council of PTA Presents Annual Report

PTA Council Programs

🎬 7.C.1. LISD Council of PTA’s State of the Council 2024 Annual Report

At Thursday’s meeting, leaders from Leander ISD Council of PTA provided the State of the Council Annual Report for 2024.

With a series of programs, the PTA Clothes Closet and its support for public education, the organization positively contributes to family engagement and empowerment.

Hiring Announcements

Assistant Superintendent of Advanced Academics & Pathways; Dustin Binnicker
Assistant Superintendent of Empowered Learning; Brenda Cruz

Leander ISD is pleased to welcome two leaders into their new roles – Dustin Binnicker, Ed.D., as the assistant superintendent of advanced academics and pathways and Brenda Cruz as the assistant superintendent of empowered learning – after the Board approved the recommendations at Thursday’s Board meeting.

Asst. Supt. of Advanced Academics & Pathways
Asst. Supt. of Empowered Learning