Legislative Priorities: 89th Session

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LISD Legislative Priorities for the 89th Legislative Session

The Texas 89th Legislative Session opens in January 2025. Archive of previous session’s priorities

The Leander ISD Community provided feedback to the Legislative Committee in the form of survey responses and 31 in person listening circles. All of this feedback has been incorporated into the priorities presented here.

Leander ISD believes students should be empowered to own their learning, staff should feel empowered and valued, and strong partnerships with our families, community, taxpayers, and the state are essential to building an educated workforce while acknowledging that local communities know their students best.

By partnering with legislators and key decision-makers on the following priorities, we strive to create safe and innovative learning environments that foster a sense of belonging and support every student’s learning journey with equitable access to high-quality experiences. This commitment strengthens the public education system, ensures accountability, develops the skills necessary for lifelong success, and contributes to economic prosperity through improved educational outcomes.

#1LISD is committed to the following priorities during the January 2025 Session.

1. Empowered Student Learning:
   1. Maintain flexibility for curriculum to support student choice in their learning path
      1. Curriculum must empower students to explore their interests and craft personalized learning pathways alongside core requirements. Legislative priorities should support bills that preserve flexibility for students to pursue these pathways, fostering a balance between core subjects and individualized learning.
   2. Special Education
      1. Special education is a cornerstone of equitable learning, yet persistent challenges hinder the success of students with disabilities. Legislative priorities must focus on increasing funding to ensure every student receives the individualized support they need to thrive academically and socially.
2. Empowered Staff:
   1. Educator Salaries and Retention
      1. Educator salaries are critical in addressing the ongoing challenges of retention, recruitment, and morale in education. By valuing educators through fair and competitive pay, we strengthen the education workforce and ensure continuity and stability in our schools, directly benefiting student learning and outcomes.
3. Impactful Family Engagement:
   1. Building effective partnerships
      1. Building effective partnerships with each student’s family is critical to their success. Parents must have access to information about their child’s education and must be encouraged to participate in developing student ownership of learning. Increased state funding for public education is necessary to ensure parents can be offered the information and resources they need to drive their child’s education.
4. Equitable Access:
   1. Funding from the state
      1. State funding for public education is the cornerstone of equitable access to quality learning opportunities. Underfunding and unfunded mandates strain schools, leading to resource shortages, larger class sizes, and staffing challenges that impact student outcomes. Legislative priorities must include increasing the basic allotment and ensuring equitable resource allocation to address district disparities.
   2. Voucher Opposition
      1. Vouchers pose a significant threat to public education by diverting critical funds away from already underfunded schools. These programs disproportionately benefit a small percentage of families while neglecting the vast majority who rely on public schools. Furthermore, vouchers perpetuate inequities, as private institutions are not required to serve all students, including those with disabilities. There must be a focus on reinvesting in public schools to ensure all students have access to a high-quality, inclusive education rather than pursuing policies that erode public trust and resources.
5. Safe and Innovative Learning Environments:
   1. School Safety & Mental Health Support
      1. Ensuring our students’ and staff’s safety and mental well-being is foundational to creating effective learning environments. With rising concerns about safety and increasing mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, and trauma, our schools require targeted legislative support to address these critical issues. Investment in comprehensive mental health resources, proactive safety protocols, and behavioral interventions will safeguard our schools and empower students to thrive academically and emotionally.

Senators & Representatives in Leander ISD

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Archive

• 2023: 88th Legislative Session
• 2021: 87th Legislative Session