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HaysCISDconsidering$115millionMaybondelection
3 new Hays County schools to open in 2022 With the continued expansion and population growth in Hays County, three new schools will open in Buda and Kyle. 1 Sun eld Elementary School Located in the Sun eld development in Buda, the $38.49 million new elementary school is set to be completed for students to begin classes in fall 2022.
BY ZARA FLORES
FBOC Chair Byron Severance said that based on Superintendent Eric Wright’s reports of rising enrollment numbers, the committee wanted to make sure that they included the new building that will be able to support the growing population. Additionally, $6,773,500 would be allocated to purchase 55 new buses that will also help with the growing population. Lastly, $3,475,567 would be used on design fees for the 17th elementary school in the district. In order to get ahead and prepare for the future, Severance said the committee included the design fees for another new elementary school so that when it is needed, construction can begin right away. While there are plenty of other projects the committee could have considered, Severance said it needed to garner trust with the community regarding the spending needed for student and academic growth. “We felt like the items we landed on are a huge need for the district,” Severance said. The board of trustees is expected to hold public forums in late January for the community to participate in and must legally call for the election in February.
HAYS CISD The board of trustees was presented with the proposal for a potential $115,649,800 bond election in May at a workshop meeting Dec. 13. In August 2021, the facili- ties and bond oversight committee, or FBOC, appointed by the board began meeting and brainstorming what projects should be focused on for 2022. Ultimately, four projects were selected. “Going forward, I think we’ve had a very successful round. There were not as many items on this particular bond. I think last time there were close to 30, and this time there were four, so it was a whole lot easier to wrangle,” Chief Operations O cer Max Cleaver said. The FBOC voted and designated the construction of a new elementary school, the 16th, as the most important project for this election based on average scores from the group, clocking in at $48,270,043. The proposed school would t 900 students and would be completed in August 2024. Second is the most expensive project at $57,130,690, the building of an academic support center for all administra- tive personnel to work out of, and that would allow for the expansion of Live Oak Academy, the district’s alternative school for students to learn from home.
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2 Doral Academy A pre-K through eighth grade campus of Doral Academy is slated to open in August. The tuition-free charter school focuses on science, technology, engineering and math, and it will also be located in Buda.
DRAFTING THE BOND ACADEMIC SUPPORT CENTER $57.13 million SCHOOL NO. 16 CONSTRUCTION $48.27 million
The proposed bond election would provide funding for the four top Hays CISD priorities to support the growing population of the district.
PROJECT PARAMETERS Academic support center: all departments will be in one building Elementary School No. 16 construction: will have a capacity of 900 students; total enrollment of ES students will increase to 13,019 Buses: 55 buses to help replace those that are over 10 years old or have more than 150,000 miles Elementary School No. 17 design fees:
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BOND TOTAL $115.65 MILLION
BUSES $6.77 million
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SCHOOL NO. 17 DESIGN FEES $3.48million
a pre-emptive move to help accommodate future growth
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SOURCE: HAYS CISD COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
3 Valor Public Schools A tuiton-free campus of Valor Public Schools is set to open in August in Kyle. The school will begin at kindergarten to eighth grade and eventually serve up to 12th grade.
SMCISDapproves incentive and retention payments
The $100 stipend will be paid both to school sta who already received a booster and to any sta once they provide proof of receiving it. “I don’t think any vaccine incen- tive that we have previously done has reached 100% sta participation. At most it would be $120,000, but I don’t think we’re going to meet that,” trustee Miguel Arredondo said. The board also passed annual retention payments to all sta as it had done last year. “The district wishes to o er a retention payment as we value our
employees,” said Marcela Baez, assistant superintendent of human resources. “$1,000 [will] be paid out in $500 increments, one in December and one in May much like what was approved last year,” she said. Funding for the payments comes from Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief funds. ESSER funding is part of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. All district employees will receive the payment with the exception of substitute teachers.
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BY ERIC WEILBACHER
SANMARCOS CISD In line with the board of trustees’ action taken before the start of the school year that provided a $250 incentive for all school district sta to get a COVID-19 vaccine, the board also approved a stipend Dec. 13 to incentivize sta to also obtain a booster shot.
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SAN MARCOS BUDA KYLE EDITION • JANUARY 2022
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