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Dozens of parents and teachers urge Leander ISD trustees to keep Cypress Elementary open
Summary
At a Leander ISD special meeting, more than two dozen citizens — many parents and staff from Cypress Elementary — urged trustees not to close the school, offering alternatives and citing academic performance, history and local impact.
Dozens of residents, parents, students and staff packed the Leander ISD meeting to protest proposals affecting Cypress Elementary and other small neighborhood schools.
Why it matters: citizens said closing a neighborhood school would harm student supports and local identity and urged trustees to pursue revenue and scheduling alternatives before considering campus closures.
What speakers said: several speakers identified themselves as Cypress parents or staff and described the school’s academic performance, community ties and recent organizing. "This decision doesn't only impact Cypress, but this impacts our entire district," a parent said during public comments. Sean Clark, an art teacher at Cypress, urged trustees to "consider school closure only as an absolute last resort." Parents and staff referenced petitions, community organizing groups ("Safe Cypress") and in some cases the school’s local history and historic markers.
Community proposals: Commenters proposed alternatives that had been raised at community meetings: optimizing facility rentals and energy savings (citing other districts' use of rental platforms), schedule changes to reduce staffing costs, local revenue partnerships, summer‑camp partnerships and targeted rezoning or enrollment strategies. Several speakers asked for an external audit of district space usage and fiscal assumptions.
Board context and response: Board members acknowledged strong attendance and diverse perspectives, and trustees said they would continue to gather information and ask administration detailed questions. No vote or action on Cypress was taken at the meeting; the discussion was part of a broader district workshop on long‑range planning.
Ending: Community leaders asked trustees to delay any final action until the district has presented independent audits and alternatives that preserve neighborhood schools, and to keep parents and staff informed by a clear public process.
