Eanes ISD trustees are set to discuss a major overhaul of the district's out-of-district transfer policy at a meeting Tuesday evening, considering options that range from capping transfer enrollment at each campus to charging families an annual tuition of $20,000 per student. The district currently enrolls 7,406 students, including 614 out-of-district transfer students who make up about 8.3% of total enrollment and generate roughly $4.5 million in revenue, according to the district.
The proposals, first reported by KXAN Austin, would reshape how the Westlake-area district handles transfer students going forward. One option under consideration would cap transfer students at 7% of enrollment at each campus, with draft policy language requiring campuses to maintain at least 93% resident enrollment. A separate option would establish a tuition-based model altogether, charging transfer families $20,000 annually, though employee transfer students would remain exempt from that tuition and hardship waivers could be available in some cases, per the same report.
Trustees will also discuss allowing current high school transfer students to remain enrolled through the highest grade level so they can complete their program, and they will review a separate proposal to eliminate most out-of-district transfers entirely, according to KXAN's account. The open session begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the district's central administration building and will be streamed online.
Eanes' Recapture and Revenue Pressures
The tuition proposal comes as Eanes ISD faces a significant recapture obligation. The district paid approximately $95 million in recapture in 2024 — two-thirds of its local property-tax revenues, according to FOX 7 Austin. That arrangement redistributes property tax dollars from property-wealthy districts like Eanes to lower-wealth districts statewide.
Eanes ISD has considered local user and program fees, including tuition and facility rentals, as potential revenue sources. A transfer tuition model would represent a significant new cost for affected families.
The state basic allotment remains $6,160, with a separate temporary $55 adjustment, according to the Reason Foundation.
Current Policy and the Statewide Fight Over Transfer Tuition
Eanes ISD currently charges a $250 non-refundable application fee per out-of-district student for the 2026–27 school year under local policy FDA(LOCAL), but it does not charge basic annual tuition, per the district's own guidance. Out-of-district transfer approvals are subject to annual review based on campus capacity, discipline, and attendance under that existing framework.
Eanes wouldn't be the first property-wealthy district to try this. Lovejoy ISD in Collin County instituted a limited-enrollment transfer tuition program in 2023–24, charging out-of-district families $9,000 per student annually while still collecting state funding allocations for those seats, according to the Reason Foundation's earlier reporting. That district has reportedly paused and reinstated its tuition charges depending on legislative debates in Austin.
Any move toward transfer tuition also runs against a live statewide debate. Texas lawmakers considered Senate Bill 686 during the 89th Legislative session in 2025, which would have established statewide public school open enrollment and prohibited districts from charging transfer tuition, though the bill ultimately failed to pass, according to LegiScan. The debate raises questions about access to transfers and the role tuition revenue could play for districts.
New Leadership, Familiar Budget Pressure
The discussion comes under relatively new district leadership. Eanes ISD's board voted unanimously to confirm Kirk Koennecke as superintendent on September 12, 2025, with his tenure beginning January 1, 2026, following a national search after Dr. Jeff Arnett's retirement, per KVUE. Koennecke previously served as a superintendent in Ohio and was named National Superintendent of the Year in 2023.
Community Impact reported that Eanes ISD proposed a total property tax rate of $0.8254 per $100 valuation for FY 2026–27. Hoodline previously covered the district's tax rate vote in August, when trustees also pushed staff raise decisions to September.
Tuesday's discussion leaves several questions unresolved, including how hardship waivers would be administered and what long-term enrollment caps might look like if trustees adopt either option. For now, the board's deliberations remain at the discussion stage, with no final vote reported as part of Tuesday's agenda.
