CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — The Leander Independent School District is starting the new school year on a somber note. The July 5 flooding killed two students. The district almost made budget cuts and laid off some staff earlier this year.
KXAN’s Barrett Tryon sat down and talked to Leander ISD Superintendent Dr. Bruce Gearing about some of the challenges the new year brings.
July 5 flooding killed 2 students
“(This summer’s flooding) was a tragic event for us,” Gearing said. “We lost two students in the flooding in Sandy Creek. A lot of our staff members were affected. We have families out there, but I will tell you the response has been phenomenal.”
He said the district’s response to the deadly situation over the Independence Day holiday brought out the very best of what he loves about the district.
“We think public schooling is just about schooling, but the district’s response for me was phenomenal,” Gearing said. He talked at length about how the district helped stage recovery centers and host volunteer centers in the days after the destruction happened.
‘Difficult decision’
Gearing said one of the other challenges the district faces in the 2025-2026 school year is the budget.
“We started out this budget cycle this coming year with a $34 million deficit,” he said. “We are still $10 million short than we should be with House Bill 2, so we’re working with legislators and the commissioner to try and get that addressed.”
In February, the district reduced 6% of its staff at the central office level and 5.8% at the campus level for this school year. It totaled more than $16 million worth of reductions.
Gearing said the district is still in a $20 million deficit running into the 2025-2026 school year.
“We know we cannot continue this in the longer-term, so our budget cycle, which normally starts in December, has already started for the 2026-2027 cycle,” Gearing explained. “We’ll continue to work very closely with our internal and external stakeholders to make sure we are addressing that deficit going forward effectively.”
District shows off new Denise Geiger Compass Center
On Tuesday, KXAN sat down and talked to the newly named principal of the new Denise Geiger Compass Center. The campus is for students 18 and up and is a special education transition center. It offers everything from learning how to live on your own in a new apartment to specialized training in other areas.
“We work on schools related to employability, social skills, independent living,” said principal Justin Pine. “We help students navigate their way through post-secondary school. Most of that instruction we provide relates to adulthood.”
The building broke ground in December 2024. It is named after Leander ISD SPED Transition Services Senior Coordinator Denise Geiger. She was the founder of the Transition Services in the district and helped create what’s now in use today.
Under Geiger’s guidance, the program has grown from serving one student to 140 students yearly, the district said.
As many as 200 students are expected at the new campus, which officially opened on Tuesday.