February 17, 2023

On Monday, February 13, 2023, the Lakeway City Council voted 7-0 to deny a development agreement for the construction of Elementary School #8 off Bee Creek Road. This development agreement had been discussed with city staff since June 2022 and at no time did they ever share this project would not be moving forward. The unexpected result of this vote means that, at this time, we will not be able to build Elementary School #8 at this location.

During our school board meeting on Wednesday, February 15, the board discussed the City’s denial and options to best accommodate our students and address overcrowding at our elementary campuses. As we discussed during our bond presentations in the fall, if we are unable to build elementary schools, we would have to rezone or add portable buildings to existing campuses. The rezoning process will include working with our demographer to help determine new school boundaries. If portables are needed, that is a much more extensive process which involves securing the buildings, obtaining permits, and establishing utilities. These processes will look at our areas of projected growth, the impact on our district, and take effect this fall, August 2023.

The City’s decision was a complete surprise to us, and the denial is disappointing after months of discussions with them. It is not the direction we hoped and planned for our students and families, but is the unfortunate situation which has been placed upon us. We understand that you are anxious to know where your elementary student will attend school and have many questions. Our goal is for our families to know the campus their child(ren) will attend during the 2023-2024 school year by mid-May 2023. We will keep you updated throughout this process, and thank you for your patience as we work through this as quickly as possible.

Paul Norton
Superintendent of Schools