Middle School #3 construction plans
The board awarded the contract for LTISD’s third middle school—which would be funded through the district’s upcoming bond issue—to American Constructors.
Johnny Hill, LTISD’s assistant superintendent for business, financial and auxiliary services, said the district received six bids for the project and recommended American Constructors because the group had worked with the district in the past. American Constructors will also waive pre-construction costs if the bond fails, he said.
If the bond is approved, construction of the campus could begin Dec. 1 and the goal would be to open the building for the 2019-2020 school year, Hill said.
Audio of future board meetings to be available online
Beginning next month, LTISD will record audio and video of all open board meetings, and make the recordings available to the public on the district’s website, said Chris Woehl, LTISD executive director for technology and information services.
School districts are required to supply recordings of meetings once student enrollment exceeds 10,000 individuals, he said. LTISD is projected to reach that mark during the upcoming school year, Woehl said.
The district purchased recording equipment and set up services from Swagit Productions for $49,765, and will pay $12,000-$15,000 annually for production, management and hosting services, he said. Swagit Productions currently records city council meetings for the city of Lakeway, Woehl said.
Board reviews ballot language
The board reviewed the ballot language for the upcoming bond election as well as a potential upcoming tax ratification election.
Superintendent Brad Lancaster said, because of the uniqueness of the elections and the wording on the ballot, the goal in the coming months should be to spread accurate information so voters are not confused when they get to the ballot box.
“It’s the way we do business in Lake Travis, so I’m not sure we really appreciate the significance of the ability to pay off debt early and the ability to call a $253 million bond election without raising the tax rate,” he said. “I’ve never been in a school district where we called a bond election of any amount that didn’t slightly or significantly increase the debt service tax rate. This is a first for me and is a remarkable achievement.”
