Board reallocates $4 million and approves GMP to keep early childhood center on schedule

The Leander ISD Board on Thursday approved a recommendation from the Bond Oversight Committee to reallocate $4 million from 2023 bond repurposing funds to the new Early Childhood Center project and later approved a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for the same project.

Administration told trustees the Halsey site, a 36.6-acre parcel, is the planned location for the center, which is intended to serve prekindergarten students from six nearby elementary schools and is scheduled to open for the 2026-27 school year. The bond oversight committee recommended moving $4 million to close a funding gap caused by inflation, refined design scope and additional site work related to infrastructure and stormwater detention for future development onsite.

Alexis Grimes, introduced as a member of the Bond Oversight Committee, and district staff reviewed a schematic timeline and value-engineering steps that reduced some scope but did not preserve items that would have harmed the child experience, administration said. Staff said $97,000,000 of the original $161,000,000 repurposing allocation would remain for future repurposing projects after the reallocation.

The motion to move $4,000,000 was made by Trustee Trish Bodie and seconded by Trustee Sade Fascacun; the board voted 4–1 to approve the recommendation. Trustees who spoke acknowledged there remains more long-range planning work to identify future repurposing projects.

Separately later in the meeting trustees approved Guaranteed Maximum Price No. 1 for the Early Childhood Center. Administration presented GMP No. 1 at $47,762,700 and recommended approval so construction could start on schedule; the motion to approve the GMP passed unanimously (5–0).

Trustees asked staff whether the $97,000,000 remaining for repurposing would be sufficient for future needs; administration said there are unknowns and said the $97,000,000 should be sufficient for several projects but that additional planning and board direction would determine priorities.

Why it matters: the early childhood center is intended to provide a dedicated campus for prekindergarten students and relieve capacity pressures at surrounding elementary schools. Approval of the GMP commits the district to construct under that price and moves the project from design to construction phase.

Who spoke: Alexis Grimes (Bond Oversight Committee member), Jeremy Trimble (staff member), Trustee Trish Bodie, Trustee Sade Fascacun, and other trustees.

What happens next: construction is slated to begin this spring with a target opening for the 2026–27 school year. The district said it will continue long-range planning to allocate remaining repurposing funds.