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AUG. 9 Eanes ISD begins preliminary bond discussions AUG. 17 LTISD bond election expected to be called by school board
Districts spend several months deliberating on potential bonds, often holding community meetings or forming committees to hash out the details on what projects to include. Playing the long game Lake Travis ISD Leander ISD Eanes ISD
AUG. 22 Deadline to call bond election
2022
JAN. 18 Lake Travis ISD Long Range Facilities Planning Committee formed MARCH 7 MAY 3 LTISD long range facilities planning meetings 1-5 were held
NOV. 8 LTISD bond election
JUNE 15 LTISD bond proposal presented at school board meeting
2023
MAY NOV. Leander ISD, EISD could hold potential bond elections
SOURCES: LAKE TRAVIS ISD, EANES ISD, LEANDER ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Addressing overcrowding Enrollment in LTISD is expected to at least double from 2010-30, going from around 7,000 in 2010 to between 14,000 and 16,000 in 2030, according to district documents. To alleviate over- crowding at select campuses across the district, LTISD will need to build two additional elementary schools in the next three years, Norton said. The list of projects included in the bonds was determined by the Long Range Facilities Planning Committee. The committee is a group of par- ents, educators, business leaders, students and others who came together ve times throughout March and April to discuss potential details of the bonds. Proposition A includes $548.41 million for a new high school, two new ele- mentary schools, campus improvements and more, while proposition B includes $60.79 million for technology improvements and software
elementary schools are set to reach capacity in the next two years, this relief is needed as soon as possible, A big piece of this bond is planning for the future, mak- ing sure we have facilities and classrooms to accommodate the student growth to where we can have great classrooms for students,” Norton said. Propositions A, B and C cover the following areas of spending, respectively: school district facilities, tech- nology and athletic facilities. As of publication, the line- by-line breakdown of each project in the bonds was not available, but the district said it is working to develop these materials. In the wake of rising need for facilities, the district has spent months developing plans for a potential bond election in November. A vote on whether to hold a bond election was scheduled to be held at the next regu- larly scheduled board meet- ing Aug. 17, after press time.
upgrades. C would allocate $93.8 million for a new competition arena and Cavalier Stadium renova- tions, among other projects. One major priority of the bonds is to address the antic- ipated growth of the district over the next several years, Proposition “A BIG PIECE OF THIS BOND IS PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE, MAKING Norton said. Each school has a dedicated capacity, but schools are considered full when they exceed 120% of that capacity. “When you look at SURE WE HAVE FACILITIES AND CLASSROOMS TO ACCOMMODATE THE STUDENT GROWTH.” PAUL NORTON, SUPERINTENDENT OF LAKE TRAVIS ISD
capacity, you’re looking at a comfort- able classroom [and]
rezoning at this time, Norton said. The board was originally scheduled to vote on whether to hold a bond election at the July 20 meeting. This meet- ing was postponed due to Norton’s absence; however, there were also a number of concerns raised by residents during the public comment section of the meeting. Among the group of con- cerned residents was Susan Harbin, a frequent meeting attendee. Harbin requested the board postpone the deci- sion to hold a bond election until more information about what was included in each bond was released. The dis- trict has more time to make decisions on projects such as the new high school, which has several years until it is set to reach capacity, she said. “The board said the pub- lic has all the data that the committee has, and if that’s
auxiliary spaces such as the cafeteria and o ce space,” Norton said. “When you get to the 120%, that’s when you want to have another campus for those students to move into.” Three schools in the dis- trict are at risk of passing the 120% threshold in the next ve years, including Rough Hollow Elementary, set to surpass its capacity this upcoming school year. Bee Cave Elementary is set to pass this threshold in 2023-24, followed by the high school in 2027-28. The district has control over attendance zones and could rezone campuses to address overcrowding now, but rezoning would have to occur again in the event the bonds pass. To prevent uprooting a group of students several times over a three- to four-year period, the district has decided to not pursue
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COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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