Georgetown Edition | April 2024

Overcrowding concerns From the cover

What they’re saying

Current situation

Trustees ordered the bond based on a recom- mendation from the district’s citizen advisory committee, or CAC, which unanimously agreed a bond would be in the district’s best interests. Some community members have also expressed support for the bond, citing an interest in the net benet to the community as a whole. Sun City residents Jim and Dianna Watters said they are planning to vote in favor of all four propositions and feel called to give back to their community by supporting public schools. “We may not have our own kids in the school system here, but you don’t lose your feeling for children when you retire,” Jim Watters said. Betty Schleder, another Sun City resident, said she would support the bond because she believes investing in schools will ultimately improve the greater Georgetown community and entice more people to move to the area. GISD parent Ami Glover said while she generally supports the bond, she wishes the district was more transparent about the specic projects and costs associated with each proposition. “I don’t expect them to follow the hard lines,” Glover said. “I don’t think anyone does. But it would be nice to know.”

Padavil said this growth is fueling more frequent bond elections. This is the fourth bond election the district has called in the last 10 years, whereas it only held two in the 15 years prior. If the district were not experiencing such rapid growth in a short period of time, he said ocials would likely be able to congure existing buildings and projects from the previous bond to meet existing needs. “Georgetown is the fastest-growing community in the country,” Padavil said. “The consequences of not keeping up are signicant.” The bond package district ocials are proposing would raise the existing tax rate by one penny per $100 valuation, election lings show.

This is the district’s largest bond package to ever go before voters. Appearing on the May 4 ballot, the $649.5 million proposal is spread out over four propositions, with the biggest chunk of the proposed funding going toward building a new elementary, middle and high school. This comes as the district is projected to grow by about 500 students in the 2024-25 school year, Superintendent Devin Padavil said during his state of the district address in February. “If we do not have additional facilities, we will have at least six of our schools over capacity,” he said. “The only solution to that is to put a farm of portable buildings outside of our schools, or have additional buildings for our kids to have the appropriate size.”

Growth in Georgetown The district’s population is projected to grow by more than 6,000 students in the next decade.

Projected student enrollment

Years enrollment exceeds campus capacity

20k

15k 10k 0

2023-24*

2025-26

2027-28

2029-30

2031-32

2033-34

School year

*ACTUAL ENROLLMENT

From our point of view as elders, the kids of the community are dearly important. Absolutely. So it’s of importance to us here. JIM WATTERS, SUN CITY RESIDENT

Campuses exceeding capacity 2023-24 • Wagner Middle • Wolf Ranch Elementary • East View High

2024-25 • Mitchell Elementary

2025-26 • Williams Elementary

2026-27 • Tippit Middle

SOURCES: GEORGETOWN ISD, ZONDA EDUCATIONCOMMUNITY IMPACT

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