Updated at 10:16 a.m. on Nov. 17
The Georgetown school board may convene a citizens advisory committee in the coming year as preparations for a potential future bond election near.
During a Nov. 16 meeting, the board received information and a timeline for the formation of a CAC, which is the first step in a bond election, GISD Superintendent Fred Brent said. This does not, however, mean one will be called, he added.
The purpose of a CAC is to evaluate existing district facilities, enrollment projections and other data and provide facility and equipment recommendations to the board, Brent said. The CAC is made up of community members who represent the diverse and multifaceted interests of the district and will be aided by district staff, he said.
“This is not to say that we are automatically calling a bond,” Brent said. “I want to encourage everyone to understand that this is the board's way and the district's way of saying committee members tell us where you think we are and what we should do in terms of meeting the needs of the district for long-term growth.”
The formation of the committee is pending board approval, an item that will likely appear on the December agenda. Once formed, the committee will spend several months looking at district facilities and enrollment data and make recommendations to the board on future needs. It will then make a recommendation by Aug. 16 on whether the district should call a bond and what should be on that bond, officials said.
After a recommendation is made, the board must also vote to either accept, decline or amend the recommendations before it can appear on a ballot.
Brent said current student projections show the possible need for a third area high school in 2027. In order to achieve this, construction would have to start in 2024, and plans would need to start being drawn up in 2021, he said.
He added the district is currently on track to hold a bond election every three years with a voter-approved $160.6 million bond package passing in 2015 and a $150.5 million bond package passing in 2018.
Projects that came from the 2018 bond include the construction of the two new elementary schools of Wolf Ranch and Williams, as well as new school buses and technology and athletic and safety upgrades.
“As a district, we'll be studying our existing facilities, reviewing the projects that we've done, looking at our facilities assessment, comparing recommendations and taking considerations of needs,” Brent said.
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