The Lake Travis school district has called for an immediate hiring freeze.

The district’s school board on Thursday voted on the freeze in response to a projected shortfall the district faces due to state cuts to public education of up to $9.8 billion to public education.

“We are facing a very serious financial situation that is unprecedented during my nine-year tenure as superintendent,” Superintendent Rocky Kirk said in a statement.

The district may need to reduce its budget between $7.7 million and $13.2 million, or 13 to 24 percent of its 2011-12 operations budget.

Lake Travis, which has a student population of nearly 7,000, may also consider other cost-saving measures, including a freeze on compensation and benefit adjustments, Kirk said.

The Leander school district officials also said Monday that they project a $17 million to $28 million shortfall, or 7 to 11.5 percent, in its estimated $244 million operations budget in 2011-12.

Leander, the third largest district in Central Texas with more than 32,000 students, covers more than 200 square miles of northwest Travis County, Cedar Park and Leander.

In recent weeks, districts across the state have called for layoffs, furloughs and possible school closures.

Austin school district officials estimate a shortfall in 2011-12 of $94 million to $113 million of its $842 million in operating expenses. Last week, trustees unanimously voted to cut 485 jobs district wide. The district has more than 86,000 students.

Also last week, Round Rock Superintendent Jesus Chavez sent a letter to employees warning that layoffs were almost certain. The 2011-12 budget estimates assume a revenue shortfall of at least $60 million, about 17 percent of the district’s budget.

Round Rock is the second largest district is Central Texas, with nearly 45,000 students.