Mission
Beginning in April 2023, the Long-Range Planning Committee (LRPC) will serve in an advisory role to guide the district and ensure alignment with the Strategic Plan by:
- utilizing the 10-year plan as a framework
- engaging in shared learning about components and programs involved in long-range planning, and
- assisting with community education and reciprocal communication strategies regarding long-range planning.
In January 2022, the Long-Range Planning Committee (LRPC) was charged with developing a ten-year facilities plan, focused on student learning and anchored in our core beliefs that take
into consideration the following criteria:
- student access to learning experiences that interest them
- facility optimization
- fiscal responsibility
- changes in population over time
Ten-year Long-Range Plan (Updated 4/19/2023)

Committee Members
2023-24
LISD Board of Trustees
Trish Bode – Trustee, Place 1
Christine Mauer – Secretary, Place 3
Anna Smith – Vice-President, Place 4
LISD District Administrators
Matt Bentz – Chief Academic Officer
Chrysta Carlin – Asst. Supt., Pathways & Innovation
*Jimmy Disler – Chief Facilities Officer
Brandon Evans – Exec. Dir., Campus Support
Erin Garner – Senior Early Childhood Coordinator
*Bruce Gearing – Superintendent
*Sarah Grissom – Chief of Staff
Mike Howard – Director, Fine Arts Music Perf. Arts
Shannon Lombardo – Asst. Dir., Community Relations
Rachel Mackey – Exec. Dir., Human Resources
*Marty O’Neill – Business Solutions Developer
*non-voting members
LISD Campus Administrators
Deana Cady – Principal, Block House Creek Elem
Britteny Clifford – Principal, Steiner Ranch Elem
Clay Currier – Sr. Dir., Innovative Learning Programs/ Principal NHHS and ECHS
Christine Hilbun – Principal, Tarvin Elem
Melody Maples – Principal, Stiles MS
Jayme Spexarth – Assoc. Principal, Vandegrift HS
Wendy Sturdevant – Principal, Canyon Ridge MS
A selection of parents and students representing all feeder patterns in the district will also serve on the committee this year.
2022-23
LISD Board of Trustees
Trish Bode – President, Place 1
Christine Mauer – Member, Place 3
Anna Smith – Secretary, Place 4
LISD District Administrators
Laurelyn Arterbury – Chief of Staff
Matt Bentz – Chief Academic Officer
Chrysta Carlin – Asst. Supt., Pathways & Innovation
Jimmy Disler – Chief Facilities Officer
Brandon Evans – Exec. Dir., Campus Support
Sarah Grissom – Chief of Schools
Mike Howard – Director, Fine Arts Music Perf. Arts
Shannon Lombardo – Asst. Dir., Community Relations
Rachel Mackey – Exec. Dir., Human Resources
Marty O’Neill – Business Solutions Developer
LISD Campus Administrators
Deana Cady – Principal, Block House Creek Elem
Britteny Clifford – Principal, Steiner Ranch Elem
Clay Currier – Sr. Dir., Innovative Learning Programs/ Principal NHHS and ECHS
Christine Hilbun – Principal, Tarvin Elem
Melody Maples – Principal, Stiles MS
Jayme Spexarth – Assoc. Principal, Vandegrift HS
Wendy Sturdevant – Principal, Canyon Ridge MS
2021-22
LISD Board of Trustees
Elexis Grimes – Secretary, Place 7
Aaron Johnson – Member, Place 6
Anna Smith – Member, Place 4
LISD District Administrators
Laurelyn Arterbury – Chief of Staff
Matt Bentz – Chief Academic Officer
Chrysta Carlin – Asst. Supt., Pathways & Innovation
Jimmy Disler – Chief Facilities Officer
Shannon Lombardo – Asst. Dir., Community Relations
Marty O’Neill – Business Solutions Developer
Committee Meetings
2023-24
September 19 – Agenda | Presentation |Notes
August 29 – Agenda | Presentation | Notes
July 25 – Agenda|Presentation|Notes
June 6 – Agenda|Presentation|Notes
2022-23
May 3 – Presentation
April 17 – Presentation
March 7 – Presentation
Jan 18 – Presentation
Communications
April 28, 2023 – Long-Range Planning Committee accepting applications to expand membership
April 19, 2023 – Long-Range Planning Committee met to Review and Update Plan on Monday, April 17
April 6, 2023 – LISD Board & Superintendent Begin Redefining Repurposing Options
March 23 – Board Meeting – Long-Range Plan Presentation
Feb. 16, 2023 – Board of Trustees voted to call a bond election during a special called meeting
Feb. 7, 2023 – Board Discussion of CFAC recommendations and alignment to LRP
Jan. 23, 2023 – 1st Scenarios Released in Secondary Zoning
Jan. 13, 2023 – First Step in Long-Range Plan is Underway, Zoning for Secondary School Relie
Resources Used in Development
Community Feedback and Forums
Long-Range Plan Community Forums
April 12, 2023 – Community Forum: Long-Range Plan at Vandegrift HS
Mar 6, 2023 – Community Forum at VHS Presentation | ThoughtExchange Summary
Secondary Zoning for Relief Community Forums – Presentation
ThoughtExchange Summaries from each Forum:
Plan Parameters
Strengthen the student experience
- Establish long-term stability
- Access to choice options
- Elementary: Honor neighborhood school concept
Secondary: Honor neighborhood school concept where secondary schools are still able to meet the intent of the Long-Range Plan
Prioritize fiscal responsibility
- Maximize usage of district facilities
- Strategic rezoning
- Optimization Opportunities
- Defer timing of future construction
Demographic Report
The district receives an annual demographic report that predicts population shifts within LISD boundaries. This helps in planning for new facility construction and the balancing of staff and district resources.
Attendance Zoning
Leander ISD attendance zones outline where children in a particular neighborhood will attend elementary, middle or high school. Each October, Leander ISD receives an annual demographic update from Population and Survey Analysts (PASA). By studying student residential locations, potential growth and decline, housing trends, and economic factors inherent to the district, PASA considered the expected long‐term trends for the district and created a dataset to use in planning for the next 10 years.
Schools of Choice
In coordination with the long-range facilities planning board committee, a cross-functional group of district and campus leaders met to research possible schools of choice for Leander ISD.
A School of Choice is a public school offering specialized educational opportunities that utilize a non-conventional approach, designed to meet the diverse needs and interests of students throughout the LISD community in order to:
- Provide choice and equitable access for students
- Optimize varied educational opportunities for all students
- Maximize efficiency in the use of school facilities, transportation, and other capital and operational resources
Plan Development Timeline
Nov 2021 – April 2023
April 2023
Apr 27 – Board Meeting: Long-Range Planning Committee Update
Apr 17 – LRP Committee Meeting – Presentation
March 2023
Mar 23 – Board Meeting: Long-Range Plan Presentation
Mar 7 – LRP Committee Meeting: Presentation
Mar 6 – LRP Community Forum at Vandegrift HS: News Article
February 2023
Community Forums – Secondary Zoning Process: Presentation & ThoughtExchange Summaries:
Feb 28 – Community Forum on Zoom
Feb 27 – Community Forum at Wiley MS
Feb 15 – Community Forum at Vista Ridge HS
Feb 13 – Community Forum at Henry MS
Feb 8 – Community Forum at Leander HS
Feb 7 – Special Board Meeting: LRP’s alignment with the CFAC Recommendation
January 2023
Jan 26 – Board Meeting: CFAC presented a Bond Recommendation to the Board of Trustees
Jan 23 – District Releases First Scenario in Secondary Zoning Process
Jan 19 – LRP Committee Meeting: Presentation
December 2022
Dec 8 – Board Meeting: Attendance Zoning Charter Approved for Middle Schools and High Schools
November 2022
Nov 15- Special Board Meeting
Nov 15 – Principal/Admin Meeting: PASA report presented new 2022 data
Nov 10 – LRP Committee Meeting
Nov 7 – Cabinet Meeting: Present LRP with new PASA data
October 2022
Oct 13 – Board Meeting: Schools of Choice Survey Results
September 2022
Sept 26 – CFAC Steering Committee and Subcommittee: Kick-Off Meeting
August 2022
Aug 31- Schools of Choice Survey Communication
Aug 25 – Schools of Choice Committee Research and Considers options
June – July 2022
July 21 – Board Meeting – School of Choice and LRP Update
June 23 – Board Meeting – CFAC begins to prepare for a bond election
June 13 – Board Meeting: News Article & Presentation to the Board
May 2022
May 23 – Cabinet Meeting May 31 – LRP Committee Meeting
- Data requested regarding Travisso area exercise
- Updated 10-year plan
- Board presentation for June 9 (including SOC timeline)
May 10 – Committee Meeting
- Reviewed data from last meeting: enrollment projections in southern portion of the district
- Discuss implications of NET zone vs. 2 mile walkout
- Review enrollment projection data for central and northern portion of district
- Schools of Choice discussion
Apr 18 – Committee Meeting
- Review a draft 10-year plan (for discussion)
- Presented data requested from last meeting
- Lots of discussion around relieving campuses that are over capacity, ways to maximize facilities and allow space for choice and provide stability
Apr 7 – Board Meeting: Presentation
March 2022
- Updates provided by Transportation and Special Programs directors
- Requested data was reviewed
- Begin to work through exercises and draft a timeline
- Parameters defined
- Zoning – NET zones
- Maximize facilities (minimize empty seats)
- Stability over time
- Feeder patterns
- Create space for choice
- Good stewards of taxpayer money
- Data needed by March 11
- Land that we currently own
- Functional Capacity of each campus
- Programs currently at each campus
- Transportation
- 10-year campus projections (from the first meeting)
- Portables on each campus
February 2022
- CI tools to identify Code of Cooperation further define the Purpose
January 2022
Jan. 25 – LRP Committee Meeting