2022 EDUCATION EDITION
Leander ISD +8.6% 3,197 students
On the Up and up While Leander ISD saw the biggest increase in students numerically from 2015-20, Lake Travis ISD still saw the largest district enrollment percentage increase in Travis County. Austin ISD, by comparison, saw a -10.4% change in enrollment over this time period.
LTISD Reaching capacity Each campus in Lake Travis ISD can account for a certain number of students depending on the building parameters. Once schools reach 120% of that original capacity, the school begins to experience overcrowding.
183
2021 enrollment
Capacity
Estimated year to exceed 120% capacity
Rough Hollow Elementary School
850 897 2022-23
620
Bee Cave Elementary School
825 850 2023-24
Percent change in enrollment from 2015-20
71
West Cypress Hills Elementary School 609
850 2030-31
Lake Travis ISD +19.08% 1,763 students
Eanes ISD -1.33% -107 students
SOURCE: SPRING 2022 POPULATION AND SURVEY ANALYSTS LAKE TRAVIS ISD DEMOGRAPHIC STUDY COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Lake Pointe Elementary School
783 800 2031-32
Lake Travis Middle School
the case there really is no due diligence going on through this process of looking at detailed nancial estimates,” Harbin said. “I think there’s a lack of community buy-in, especially with the athletic spending.” While there are technically several years until the high school reaches capacity, it would take the district three and a half years to complete the new facility, Norton said. All aspects of the project considered, the high school would be done by fall 2026 if Proposition A was approved in November. The current high school is expected to reach the 120% capacity threshold in 2027. There are other members of the community wholly in favor of the bonds and the bene t they would bring to students, such as LTISD par- ent Amy Hesse. The total cost of the bonds may seem high, but she said she believes the cost is competitive compared to other districts. “We need these schools. We don’t have infrastructure where we can accommodate other buildings, and if we do they’re not in the correct location,” Hesse said. “We are in an in ationary economy; our dollars right now are worth the most that they will be. If we kick this can down the road and we do not have a
the new schools are much higher than those included in the $253 million 2018 bond used for a new elementary and middle school, among other projects. The 2018 bond nanced Elementary School No. 7, now known as Rough Hollow Elementary School, and Middle School No. 3, or Bee Cave Middle School. At the time, Rough Hollow Elementary cost $33.1 mil- lion, while Bee Cave Middle School cost $76.2 million. The reason the new bonds cost so much is because they include more projects, LTISD Chief Financial O cer Pam San- chez said. “The amount this go-around includes larger ticket items than ever before,” Sanchez said. “We have looked out [for] our needs, but also considering student growth projections, which Similar to LTISD, Eanes and Leander ISDs have upcoming plans of their own to pursue another bond election. As another fast-growth district expecting as many as 9,000 new students by 2031, LISD has had to change gears after two out of three bond propositions totaling around $760 million failed to pass at the polls last November. One of the failed propositions are pretty signi cant.” Upcoming bond plans
bond in November, it’s going to cost us more dollars and more interest rates.” Regardless of the bene- t, the $703 million bond remains the largest bond total LTISD has ever considered, Norton said. Due to the dis- trict’s debt management and early repayment of bonds in the past, the district has the capacity to hold a bond elec- tion of this size. This bond will not directly increase district tax rates; however, households will still see an increased tax bill due to the rising appraisal values of property in the area, accord- ing to the district. Comparing the bonds Elementary schools No. 8 and No. 9 are expected to cost $50 million and $54.6 million, respectively. Land for Elementary School No. 8 was purchased in May o Bee Creek Road and is expected to open in 2024. The location for Elementary School No. 9 has not been con rmed by the district at this time, Norton said. The new high school is slated to cost $236 million total and is anticipated to go on a parcel of land owned by the district o Reimers Pea- cock Road near West Cypress Hills, according to district documents. The nancial estimates for
856
1,200 2031-32
Lake Travis High School
3,500 3,666
2027-28
SOURCE: LAKE TRAVIS ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
would have allocated $727.2 million to the construction of new schools and facilities as well as the renovation of existing ones to accommo- date growth. Updated plans from the Long Range Facilities Plan- ning Committee in LISD have pared down the number of schools being built from eight by 2026 to six over a 10-year period. These new plans also include ways to maximize use of existing facilities, such as adding portable buildings and rezoning school boundaries. “Part of our dilemma is that we have shrinking student populations in part of the district, and then exploding and growing student popula- tions,” LISD Superintendent Bruce Gearing said. “Part of what we’re doing in that 10-year plan [is] making sure that we have a really clear understanding of how we’re going to balance those two opposing forces.” EISD held its rst dis- cussions regarding a possi- ble bond Aug. 9. While the district may not be seeing
increased enrollment, several of its facilities are in need of updates, Superintendent Je Arnett said. The presentation indicated the district had the potential to hold a bond election in May 2023 for $110 million-$130 million for the modernization of aging campus facilities. Additional discussions were had about another major bond being held in 2025 for about $250 million worth of major projects. At the next regularly scheduled EISD board meeting on Aug. 23 , the district will discuss sev- eral possible projects to be included in the bonds. “I think we have some fantastic schools, and we have some facilities that are a part of that history,” Arnett said. “But there are certainly some needs, and there’s some attention that we think needs to be given to our facilities, as well as just the ongoing main- tenance and operations.”
For more information, visit communityimpact.com.
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LAKE TRAVIS WESTLAKE EDITION • AUGUST 2022
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