Claim check
In short
Some people say closing one school saves about $2 million a year. The records don’t support that for one school. The biggest one-school estimate was $1.40 million.1 The budget now counts $1,085,700.2
Why it matters to your tax bill: closure savings help close the operating budget gap, but less than the $2 million figure suggests.
Related: closures · school capacity · claims checked · reserves and deficit
What the records show
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The highest estimate for one school was $1.40 million a year, for Faubion Elementary.1
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It fell to $1.26 million, then to $1,085,700 in the budget.23 The number of jobs cut in the plan fell too, from 21.5 to 18.5.13
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Steiner Ranch was estimated at $1.30 million. It was not closed.3
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The “about $2 million” figure was a staffing plan for several small schools, not one closing.3
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By the district’s own slide, only about $0.8 million of Faubion’s savings came from closing itself. The rest came from the staffing plan. This is our reading of the slide.3
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The slide put Steiner Ranch’s “additional” saving at about $0.7 million.3
Think of a sale sign that says “save up to $2 million.” That was the whole store, not one item.
Where the claim comes from
The $2 million figure is real. It just describes something else: the plan to staff small schools more cheaply.3
How the board voted
- Feb. 5, 2026: the board picked the new school zones for Faubion students, 5–0 with two absent. It chose the plan staff recommended.4
- June 18, 2026: the budget that counts the $1,085,700 passed 6–0, one absent.2
The building is not free yet
Closing the school did not end spending on the building. It is being reworked for a new use with 2023 bond money. The district lists the project budget as “To be determined.”5 On Oct. 1, 2026, the board approved how the work will be bought, 7–0 on the consent list, with no cost shown.6
So the yearly savings are in the operating budget. The building costs come out of borrowed bond money. They are two different pockets. See bond money and the budget.
The district’s side
- Small schools cost more per student.
Full story: School closures and what they saved.
Questions to ask
- Will the district post a full count of what past closings saved?
- Where will the district post the cost of reworking the closed building?
Changes to this page
- Nov. 4, 2026: Added the minutes link for the June 2026 budget vote.
- Nov. 2, 2026: Removed an unsourced line about estimates dropping.
- Nov. 2, 2026: Added questions to ask.
What you can do or watch next
- Watch the next budget for whether these savings show up.
What we still don’t know
- No one has published a full count of what past closings actually saved. We have not seen one.
- What the first full year really saves. Year-end numbers for 2026-27 come in mid-2027.
- What reworking the Faubion building will cost.
Footnotes
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Board packet, May 29, 2025, page 105: Faubion net $1,401,800. Packet page 105. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
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Board packet, June 18, 2026, page 138: “Consolidate Faubion ES to Westside ES/Reed ES … (1,085,700).” Packet page 138. Budget adopted June 18, 2026, 6–0 with one absent: Minutes. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
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Board packet, Dec. 11, 2025: Faubion $1,263,600 (p.217); Steiner Ranch $1,298,200 (p.224); scenario slide, thresholds about $2.0 million, Faubion “additional” about $0.8 million (p.225). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7
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Board minutes, Feb. 5, 2026: attendance-zone Scenario B adopted 5–0, two absent; packet: “administration recommends: Scenario B.” Packet p.266. ↩
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Leander ISD Faubion bond page, read Oct. 28, 2026: “Estimated Project Budget: To be determined.” Also board packet, BoardBook meeting 762814, p.7. ↩
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Board packet and minutes, Oct. 1, 2026: Job Order Contracting picked for the Faubion work, no dollar amount or scope attached; approved 7–0 on consent with no separate discussion. ↩