LEANDER, Texas — Significant changes are coming to Leander ISD as the district tries to mitigate a budget deficit.
The district announced Wednesday that it would eliminate dozens of positions among faculty and staff as they face a budget of more than $34 million.
Leander superintendent Bruce Gearing announced the cuts as Texas lawmakers debate Senate Bill 2, which would create education savings accounts, or what political opponents refer to as school vouchers. While Gov. Greg Abbott said Texas could still fully fund public schools with a voucher program, Gearing said nothing is guaranteed.
“It’s very difficult. We are doing the best we can with the resources we have,” Gearing said. “We will continue to do that because we are public schools. I firmly believe that the future of our state is sitting in our public schools right now and it is our responsibility to help them prepare for anything as we go on in a rapidly changing environment.”
To make ends meet during this school year, the district said it dipped into its savings. The district said it’s also grappled with 22% inflation and now and now faces a $34.4 million deficit. According to Gearing, about 87% of the district’s budget involves personnel, so making budget cuts without impacting staff is unrealistic.
Leander ISD experienced significant growth that declined for the first time during the pandemic. Now, Gearing said the district’s enrollment has flattened out.
The district said it hasn’t informed what staff members will be impacted by the cuts and will spend the next few weeks examining its staff allocation. They expect a better idea of how staff will be impacted within the next two weeks.