Leander ISD July 2007

Leander ISD July 2007

Written by Beth Wade Saturday, 07 July 2007

LISD considers building fifth high school

The Leander ISD Board of Trustees has gathered a citizen facility advisory committee to determine if the district needs to prepare a new bond package to build a fifth high school just a year and a half after a $286 million bond was approved.

Bond packages in Leander ISD are typically sought every three years, said Jennifer Williams, district spokesperson. However, LISD Superintendent Tom Glenn said if the district was to wait until next May, it would delay the opening of the fifth high school an additional year.

Projected enrollment numbers show Cedar Park High School could have 2,293 students next year; the school’s capacity is 2,400.

The district issued a moratorium on transfers to CPHS, effective Aug. 10. Students granted transfers before that date will still be allowed to attend the school.

With the south side of the district growing so quickly, those numbers could reach even higher before the fifth high school can be built, Williams said.

The attendance zoning committee, which met earlier to decide the 2008-2009 school boundaries, requested the district consider early construction on the fifth high school to keep from rezoning students more than once in a two to three year period, Britcher said.

“Some people might say we put the new (fourth) high school in the wrong place,” Glenn said. “But we are not putting the high school in the wrong place. There are just a lot of kids.”

The current advisory committee, including 50 community volunteers and district staff members, along with the 14 member steering committee will decide what is necessary to speed up construction and plan for the next five years of district needs.

LISD owns land on FM 2222 east of RM 620, purchased with money from the May 2006 bond, that could be used as the fifth high school’s site and a future middle school, Britcher said.

A full bond package could include items left off the last bond proposal, including technology, facility maintenance, other projects and future schools, Britcher said.

Due to a state law, bond elections are restricted to the first Saturday in May and the general election day in November, which this year is Nov. 6.

Because of the time constrictions, the bond committee must have a bond proposal to present to the board by the end of August, Glenn said. If the board approves the bond, it would have to call the election by then.

“If we are going to do this quickly, we really need to consider putting it out for the November election date,” Britcher said.

Governors school focused on future leaders

Eleven freshmen from Leander High School traveled to Denton this summer to participate in Texas’ first Governor’s School at the University of North Texas.

The goal of the governor’s school program, which began in 1963 in North Carolina, is to maintain a level of educational excellence necessary to keep the United States as a leader in producing professionals skilled in science, technology, humanities and the arts, said Lisa Petty, ninth-grade assistant principal at LHS.

“Anytime a student has an opportunity to expand their learning beyond the classroom and textbook, it helps them become a well-rounded person,” Petty said.

Students from across the state who had recently completed ninth grade submitted applications, and 152 were chosen to spend three weeks, June 10-30, focused on the future of science and technology.

“I was hoping I would make it. It sounded fun. I thought it would be a good experience to learn new things and be around people who wanted to learn like me,” said LHS freshman Brittny Vaughan.

The students participated in classroom activities about science, technology and math and also attended impact classes focused on learning about topics such as clay-mation and jazz music.

“At first, I thought it was going to be all academics, but we did a lot of fun activities and I made a lot of new friends,” Vaughan said.

The governor’s school was free to students, including meals, tuition and housing. Students were asked to cover the cost of travel, snacks and personal expenses.

Along with the application, students were asked to send transcripts and evaluations from a science and math teacher.

“These programs let the kids see the value for their education and learning,” Petty said. “They take biology and chemistry here, but going away to the Governor’s School lets them see how those things impact our society, and how technology and science are used beyond high school learning.”

Other Central Texas participants included Austin and Georgetown students.

For more information on the Texas Governor’s School program, visit web3.unt.edu/tgs/index.htm.

LIVE programs help special education students succeed

The special education program at Leander ISD teamed with the district’s transportation department and area businesses for a program the district named LIVE, Leander Independent Vocational Education.

This is the third year for the program, which is for students 16-21 years old.

“We are all part of a team that gives these kids a life,” said Denise Geiger, transition coordinator for special education.

Students at varying levels of disabilities receive different types of work force and job training from the special education department, as well as transportation to and from training.

The program’s goal is to help students be successful in all areas, including employment, social, recreational, leisure and community participation, adult living and lifelong learning.

“Without these services in place, we would be losing children to the point where society would be paying for them,” Geiger said. “Instead, we keep them here and they end up doing well.”

The program is designed to allow students a chance to create their own life and provide for themselves, Geiger said.

LIVE honored about 150 students who participated in the program with a celebration that included a visit from Austin Wranglers team members.