School Construction

Project Scope

The bond passed in May 2023 included $161 million for the repurposing of underutilized campuses. The Long-Range Planning Committee (LRPC) provides recommendations on how to manage growth, while also optimizing current district buildings.

The Early Childhood Center project is a solution to relieving elementary schools in the northern part of the district. The idea originated in the LRPC before moving to the Bond Oversight Committee, which presented it to the Board of Trustees for final approval. During the design phase of this project, other early childhood programs will also be considered.

The district’s first Early Childhood Center will be located on land LISD owns off of Halsey Drive in northern Leander [map]. The school is scheduled to welcome its first class of students in the 2026–27 school year. When it opens, it will bring in PreK-aged students from northern elementary schools, such as Bagdad, Larkspur, North, Plain and Tarvin, along with Elementary Schools #30, which will be open by that time.

Accounting for the budget allocated toward the Early Childhood Center project, the remaining repurposing money totals $101 million. LRPC discussions will continue on how best to optimize facilities while focusing on the student experience.

Project Status

Early Childhood Center Photo Gallery
  • May 2025
    The groundbreaking ceremony for the Early Childhood Center will be held on May 1, 2025 at 10 a.m.
  • April 2025
    The Board approved a recommendation of the Bond Oversight Committee (BOC) to reallocate bond funds to go toward the 2023 Bond Early Childhood Center (ECC) project. Due to inflation, refined design scope and additional sitework, final estimates showed a gap of $4 million, bringing the project’s new total to $64 million.
    Trustees approved the first Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) #1, in the amount of $47,762,700 for the ECC project.
    Volunteers from the Native Plant Rescue Project visited the site of the ECC and were able to collect 275 plants from 38 different native species.
  • March 2025
    The Bond Oversight Committee met and voted in favor of bringing a recommendation to the Board to reallocate an additional $4 million in bond funds for the Early Childhood Center due to inflation, refined design scope and additional sitework.
    ECC designs are complete and the permit process is underway along with plans for a groundbreaking ceremony.
  • January 2025
    ECC designs are being finalized and construction drawings are being prepared.
  • March 2024
    On March 22, 2024, a committee gathered to review current school facility trends and think deeply about what designing a learning environment specifically for our littlest learners looks like.
  • December 2023
    At the Dec. 14, 2023 board meeting, Trustees approved the construction manager.

    The construction contractor request for proposal is out and the recommendation will come before the Board for approval at a later date.
  • October 2023
    At the Oct. 26, 2023 Board meeting, Trustees approved the Bond Oversight Committee’s recommendation to build an Early Childhood Center on land LISD owns off of Halsey Drive in northern Leander and to consider other early childhood programs during the design phase.

    The Board also approved the architect at the Oct. 26 meeting.
  • September 2023
    At the Sept. 21, 2023 Board meeting, the LRPC presented their recommendation for an ECC. This recommendation later moved to the Bond Oversight Committee (BOC) for further review.
  • June–September 2023
    The Long-Range Planning Committee (LRPC) expanded to include a wider representation of the LISD community and began engaging in discussion related to addressing growth in the northern portion of the LISD while also optimizing current district buildings.
  • May 2023
    The bond passed in May 2023 included $161 million for the repurposing of underutilized campuses.

Project Details

Phase

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Design

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Permitting & Bidding

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Construction

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Setup

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Move-In

Estimated Timeline

Start: January 2024 (Start of Design phase)
Finish: August 2026

Funding Source

Bond 2023

Estimated Project Budget

$64,000,000

Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP)

GMP #1: $47,762,700
Approved at April 10, 2025 Board Meeting

Note: The actual cost will be listed here upon project completion. Any money leftover from the budget goes into project savings, managed by the Bond Oversight Committee.

Contractors

  • Architect: O’Connell Robertson
  • Construction: American Constructors