🏫 From Neighborhood Schools to Community Assets

How Leander ISD Navigates Declining Enrollment While Preserving Community Trust

1. Neighborhood School Pride Meets Harsh Demographics

Steiner Ranch Elementary (SRE) is more than just a campus—it's the heart of a neighborhood. When enrollment falls to 60% or less, however, the financial burden of keeping the school fully operational becomes unsustainable. Coupled with statewide drops in birth rates and the expansion of school choice, districts face tough choices: repurpose, lease, or sell.

2. Vocal Parent Engagement Shapes the Narrative

A critical turning point occurred on June 11, 2025, when over 100 community members gathered for a PTA-hosted meeting to discuss proposed consolidation and repurposing plans. Speakers like Rachel Lilla (SRE PTA VP of Communications) and Kaycee Parker (SRE PTA President) voiced frustration over promises made during bond campaigns and the perceived erosion of trust with LISD leadership. “It feels like we have been fighting this for 2.5 years… They made promises not to close neighborhood schools…and that now feels like it was just said so we would vote for the bond.” — Kaycee Parker. Parents expressed concerns about the future repurposing of other classrooms in their feeder areas and proposed actions, such as withholding support for upcoming bond initiatives.

3. Repurpose First, Sell Last

Districts like SAISD and AISD offer a model: after closing underused schools, they launched community-led panels exploring repurposing options. Their reuse priorities included fine arts centers, early childhood hubs, and community spaces—all without losing campus assets.

4. Lease to Charters or Nonprofits

Texas law requires districts first to offer unused facilities to public charter schools or approved private schools before selling them. Many districts use leasing agreements to offset operational costs while retaining ownership.

5. Shared Use & Co-Located Services

Schools are increasingly being transformed into community hubs, hosting healthcare centers, after-school and enrichment programs, or even senior services, thereby preserving the campus as a neighborhood asset and not just educational real estate.

6. Sell Only If All Else Fails

Sale remains a last resort—used only if campuses operate well below capacity for years, no viable leasing partnerships exist, maintenance is unsustainable, or neighboring development makes sale more financially prudent.

📌 What This Means for Leander ISD

🌐 Conclusion

There are no easy answers or quick solutions when it comes to the future of underutilized schools, such as Steiner Ranch Elementary. While repurposing offers a path forward that avoids full closures, it still requires tough trade-offs—emotional, financial, and logistical.

As the passionate engagement from SRE parents has shown, this is not just a school issue—it’s a community-wide decision. It will take a full-community lift to balance neighborhood identity with fiscal responsibility. Every taxpayer in Leander ISD—whether they have school-aged children or not—has a stake in finding a path forward that keeps our district strong, adaptive, and united.

Open dialogue, transparent data, and inclusive planning must guide the next steps. Only by working together—residents, parents, educators, and district leaders—can we reshape what "neighborhood schools" mean for the future of Leander ISD.

📘 Further Reading

• Four Points News coverage of the SRE community meeting
• Community Impact article outlining district paths and plans
• Steiner Ranch Elementary official site