San Marcos - Buda - Kyle Edition | January 2023

EDUCATION

OTHER STORIES TO FOLLOW IN 2023

Federal funding for schools Through the American Rescue Plan, San Marcos CISD and districts across the state have received federal funding to be used through 2024 to ensure a safe return to the classroom. Here is how San Marcos CISD is using its $16.4 million allocation: Human resources teacher recruitment,

Fentanyl continues to wreak havoc on students and families within Hays CISD After nearly two months without an incident, Narcan had to be administered to a student on a middle school campus toward the end of the fall semester. The district has created public service announcement videos and will continue to create more videos and educational material for students and families throughout Hays CISD and Central Texas. Texas State University selected for $50M program to recruit teachers Texas State University announced Nov. 21 its teacher education program was selected as a Raising Texas Teachers partner, an initiative supported by the Charles Butt Foundation. The 10-year, $50 million program launched in 2017 with the goal of every student in every classroom in the state having an eective teacher. The multifold approach to recruit, train and retain teachers throughout Texas will aim to address the droves of teachers leaving the profession as area districts have felt the strain. Texas State is now one of 16 universities participating.

BY ZARA FLORES

has the third-most numeric change in enrollment from 2016 to 2021 following Leander and Liberty Hill ISDs. In August, the HCISD Facilities and Bond Oversight Committee was tasked with determining what needs might need to be met with a 2023 bond with student projection data, bond capacity, estimated costs and other information in mind. The capacity for the 2023 bond starts at $365 million and goes up to $410 million at the maximum. Over the past four months, the committee has compiled a list of

around 53 potential bond projects that range from districtwide needs to campus-specic projects, including the construction of the district’s 17th elementary school and design fees for the 18th elementary school and fourth high school. At the Dec. 12 board of trustees meeting, the committee presented an updated worksheet with the pro- posed bond, whittled down to around 40 projects for a total of $423.63 million, which will need to be worked through to get the total within the bond capacity range. The projects are

listed in order of committee support, starting at 100% support down to 50%. The proposed projects range in cost from $94,500 for a greenhouse to $75.99 million for the construction of a new school. “Some of the projects may not make it on [the 2023] bond but will stay on the list and may be looked at again for whatever the next bond will be,” Superintendent Eric Wright said. The board will hold public forums throughout January and must call for the bond election by Feb. 17 for the May 6 ballot.

With the majority of elementary school campuses expected to reach capacity in the next ve years, Hays CISD is looking at a potential May bond that would look at what the district will need over the next 10 years. The previous bond election in May 2022, passed with 51% of the vote. According to a demographic study conducted by Population and Survey Analysts, HCISD has the fth-most enrollment in the Austin metro fol- lowing Austin, Round Rock, Leander and Pugerville ISDs. HCISD also

BY ZARA FLORES

Of the $16.4 million in the American Rescue Plan Act’s Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief program funding, also known as ESSER III, San Marcos CISD has just under $6 million left to utilize through 2023 and into 2024. ESSER III grant funding is meant to be used by school districts to plan for a safe return to in-person instruction following online learning during the height of the pandemic and lockdown orders. Of the district’s funding, 20% must be used to curb learning loss through a variety of means, such as after-school and summer school programs targeted toward low-income families, students of color, students with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness or students in foster care. However, the district allotted almost 60% of the $16 million toward learning loss needs. As of Nov. 22, the district had utilized $10.2 mil- lion with the majority of the remainder allocated or planned to be used districtwide.

retention & retainment: $6M Class size reduction: $3.9M

Teaching & learning: $1.7M

Technology resources: $1.5M

Special education: $707K

Wrap-around services: $428K

Health & safety: $301K

EXPENSIVE ADDITIONS

Johnson High School additions $38.72 million

79 new school buses $11.55 million

Elementary School No. 17 construction $75.99 million

High School No. 4 design $4.26 million

Social & emotional learning: $270K

English learners/bilingual services: $267K Facility & maintenance improvements: $70K

The Hays CISD Facilities and Bond Oversight Committee has gathered its recommendations for the 2023 bond. Included are some of the most expensive potential projects.

Elementary School No. 18 design $4.17 million

Adaptive playground $2,435,530

Career and Technical Education Public Safety Training Academy $23.6 million

THESE LISTINGS ARE NOT COMPREHENSIVE.

SOURCE: HAYS CISD COMMUNITY IMPACT

SOURCE: SAN MARCOS CISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT

SAN MARCOS 510 Barnes Dr (512) 392-0366

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