GISD trustees call  November election for $160.6M bondWhen Georgetown ISD voters head to the polls Nov. 3, they will decide whether to fund school improvements, infrastructure projects and plans for future growth, all of which GISD officials deem as immediate needs. On Aug. 17 the GISD board of trustees unanimously called for a $160.6 million bond election in one proposition that would pay for new campuses, update school safety and security, and plan for increasing numbers of students. The board called for the election after hearing the recommendation of a citizens advisory committee, which had spent the past six months evaluating the district’s current facilities, educational programs and student enrollment trends before making a recommendation to the board of trustees. Superintendent Fred Brent said the plan would address safety concerns, increase school capacity and create equity among campuses. GISD trustees call  November election for $160.6M bond “The board expressed its appreciation for a fiscally responsible bond package that addresses both [enrollment] growth and facility needs to secure the instructional future of all of our students,” he said. The bond package has 12 projects, including $14.8 million to turn Williams Elementary School into an administrative building, $26.1 million in renovations to Tippet Middle School, $27 million to complete a fourth middle school and $31.4 million to replace Purl Elementary School. If the bond is approved, GISD residents can expect to see a 5 cent increase to the current property tax rate of $1.398 per $100 valuation, which the school board approved Aug. 17, district Chief Financial Officer Steve West said. The $160.6 million bond package is the largest in the school district’s history, according to district officials. The district has a successful bond passage rate for at least the past decade—voters approved bond elections in 2005 and 2010 for $97.08 million and $137.3 million respectively, West said.

Community input

The board has been weighing a possible bond election since the spring and created the citizens advisory committee to explore the option. The entire 35-member group had met six times since March to discuss proposed projects for the various campuses. The committee reviewed current facilities, educational programs, facility assessment findings, demographics reports, district financial information, project cost details and the findings of a community survey to compile a list of school needs and craft its recommendations, said committee member Bob Brent, who has no relation to the superintendent. “We had the mindset that [an item in the bond] had to be need-based for it to be supported,” he said. “We determined that these were [needed items].” Bob Brent said the district conducted a community survey in June, which was one of the most beneficial reports. “This really helped us to be able to go out into the community and get a response,” he said. GISD officials contacted residents by phone from June 11-20 to gauge the support for the 12 projects proposed in the bond. Each project received more than 60 percent approval from the community. The projects with the highest approval ratings were replacing and resurfacing roofs and parking areas, replacing inefficient heating and air-conditioning systems, and gym lighting; and purchasing buses. During the committee process, members also considered whether to add an aquatics facility to the list of recommendations, committee member Barbara Pearce said. The advisory committee had been pitched the idea more than halfway through the process of evaluating projects, Pearce said, but the committee decided the issue was brought up too late in discussions. “With all the other projects, which had been so rigorously researched and debated, the consensus of the [committee] was that we needed the same kind of thoughtful planning on this issue to determine the need and scope of the project before it was included in the bond recommendation,” she said. The committee recommended identifying the need for an aquatics facility using funds from the maintenance and operations budget, which the board ultimately approved. “We think this is a great way to keep that conversation going, but to really find out what the needs are and what the potential is,” Pearce said.

Implementation

Fred Brent said work on a large majority of the projects would start immediately if the bond package is approved. The fourth middle school would be the first project, district spokesperson Suzanne Marchman said. About $28 million in 2010 bond funds were dedicated for the design and planning of the building, and the $27 million proposed would fund its construction. Construction on the new Purl campus would also begin quickly, Marchman said. Purl, currently a pre-K through second-grade campus, would become pre-K through fifth grade, and students from Williams would attend the new school. With district staff in offices throughout town in various buildings, the bond funds would be used to convert Williams into an administration and professional development center to house district staff in one location. Other projects include $23.4 million for the second phase of Georgetown High School upgrades and renovations as well as improvements at other campuses such as $12.7 million for technology upgrades, $8.5 million for repairs and replacements to HVAC systems, $7.2 million for repairing roofs and parking, $4.8 million for land acquisition, $2 million for additional buses, $1.5 million for campus security and $1.2 million to replace the turf at the GISD Athletic Complex.