Last night, the Hays CISD board of trustees voted to continue the process to develop a bond that, as proposed, would cost just over $265 million.

The board heard a presentation of recommendations from the Growth Impact Committee, a citizen group made up of 26 members appointed by trustees in September. The committee met over the course of nine weeks to review district growth and consider the possibility of a bond initiative in 2017.

The committee ranked 23 projects in order of necessity to the district according to staff, Committee Chairwoman Ida Musgrove said. In all, the combined cost of all the projects total $265,026,591. The committee recommended combining all bond projects into one motion on the ballot if an election is called.

According to the draft recommendation approved by the board, the committee's top three priorities are the construction of three new schools: a third high school, a fourteenth elementary school and a school to replace the existing Buda Elementary campus.

The committee recommended the cost of construction for all three schools to be $250 per square foot. The recommendation estimates the high school will cost $122 million, and budgets the elementary schools to both cost just under $34 million each. The committee also suggested capping the proposal at the $265.03 million amount.

“We believe that the recommendation you have before you strikes a balance between meeting the needs of our students as they prepare to compete in a global economy and the amount of debt acquired by the district,” Musgrove said.

The committee also brought attention to seven items—though not included in the proposed bond package—they recommend be held in reserve for review by the Bond Oversight Committee in case funds become available. The top priority recommended by the committee but not included in the bond proposal was the construction of a $3.6 million baseball and softball complex at Hays High School. The Bond Oversight Committee acts to ensure the bond is implemented within budget, in a timely matter and sticks to the original intent of the bond.

The board of trustees voted unanimously to move the bond development process from the committee to the board’s hands.

From here, the board will take the proposal through a series of public hearings and make any changes before calling for an election, at which point it would be up for vote for residents in an election, district spokesperson Tim Savoy said. For a bond election to take place May 6, it must be called by the school board by Feb. 17. A general bond public forum on Jan. 24 has been scheduled, Savoy said.

“Our school district belongs to the community,” Board President Holly Raymond said. “We depend on citizens providing input and participating in major decisions such as these.”