Leander ISD Launches School Design Plans, Early Release Days Set

LEANDER, TX — Leander ISD administrators have recommended starting the design process for two planned schools, officials said Thursday evening.

Plans call for launching design plans for Elementary School 29, slated to open in fall 2022, school district officials wrote on Twitter. The campus, along with the planned Tarvin Elementary School set to open fall 2021 will impact catchment areas for Larkspur, Parkside, Plain and Akin — along with, potentially, Pleasant Hill, according to district officials.

District officials revealed the plans following a meeting among the Leander ISD board of trustees that began at 6:15 p.m. on Thursday evening.

Even as enrollment has precipitously dwindled at area school districts (notably Austin ISD), the Leander school district has seen explosive growth as one of the fastest-growing districts in the state. District officials previously have said the district has added more than 5,000 students since 2013. To accommodate that growth, the district has plans to add seven new elementary schools by 2027.

The board also voted to modify attendance zoning charter to include zoning for Elementary School 29 along with Tarvin ES. "Doing both at once as opposed to one right after the other will minimize confusion for the community," officials wrote on Twitter.

In other business, district officials said they are moving forward with 17 early release days. "We need everyone coming together to support teachers and honor their time," officials wrote. "Supporting teachers supports ALL kids," district officials added, using capitalization for further emphasis. District officials indicated they would be notifying families and community members to the early-release plans on Friday.

In another tweet, district officials specified there would be two-hour early release days most Wednesdays starting on Nov. 11.