Leander ISD board pauses naming Steiner Ranch for closure, directs district to draft secondary-alignment and consolidation scenarios

The Leander ISD Board of Trustees, after more than an hour of public comment largely opposing school closures, voted to direct district staff to develop a comprehensive districtwide secondary-alignment plan that includes consideration of expanded grade-span models and consolidation scenarios for the Vandegrift feeder pattern intended to inform decisions for the 2027–28 school year.

Board President opened the meeting and announced a shortened public-comment time because 60 people signed up to speak. Speakers — including many Steiner Ranch Elementary students, parents and teachers — urged trustees to pause planned closures and give newly adopted mitigation strategies such as open enrollment a chance to work. "Why do you want to shut down my school?" a student asked during public comment, reflecting a theme repeated by children and adults concerned about losing neighborhood schools and teacher relationships.

Chief Operations Officer Jeremy Trimble and Acting Superintendent Chris Clark reviewed the scenarios under consideration, which included consolidating Steiner Ranch into other nearby campuses and a separate Fabian-to-Westside option. Trimble noted the timing implications for staffing and attendance-boundary changes and said facility repurposing could leave a renovated campus vacant for a year or more.

Trustee Gloria Gonzalez Delucchia moved, and Trustee Trish Bodie seconded, a motion directing administration to return with a comprehensive plan that: develops a districtwide secondary-alignment strategy; evaluates expanded grade-span models that integrate elementary and middle grades; and presents consolidation scenarios for the 2027–28 school year specifically for the Vandegrift feeder pattern, including clear plans for facility use. The motion passed with seven ayes.

Trustees emphasized the motion was intended to avoid siloing communities and to give the district additional options and timelines before any closure is finalized. Several trustees and parents asked that community engagement, transparency about facility use and staffing transition plans be included in the work the administration returns with.

The board did not take action to close Steiner Ranch Elementary at this meeting. Instead, trustees said they want updated enrollment and open-enrollment application data in coming months, and they directed staff to return with options mapped to realistic timelines so any future consolidation decisions could be made with clearer implementation steps and community input.

The board meeting adjourned at 9:47 p.m.