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Members of EISD's Long-Range Facility Planning Committee first presented its list of projects during the May 20 board meeting.
The committee toured each EISD facility throughout the 2024-25 school year before the recommendations were brought forward to the board, said Kristy Sailors, assistant superintendent of operations and technology.
The LRFPC's recommendations include projects at each campus, including academic, athletic and fine arts expansions; updated classroom spaces, libraries, gyms, cafeterias and administrative areas; and bus and parking upgrades. The recommended timeline outlines at least a seven-year process to complete the projects.
- Elementary schools: move to a four-elementary-school model by closing and repurposing Eanes Elementary as a central hub for the early childhood program; modernize Barton Creek and Bridge Point; full campus replacements for Cedar Creek and Forest Trail
- Middle schools: full campus replacement for Hill Country; modernize West Ridge
- Westlake High School: create a multistory academic building and library; construct three parking garages to generate revenue; expand Career and Technical Education space, band and orchestra facilities, and gym courts and weight rooms
Latest update
District administration previously considered a May 2026 bond, but Chief Financial Officer Chris Scott said this timeline is likely not "realistic now."
Instead, the board could go for a bond in either November 2026 or May 2027.
"We've always gone [to bond] in May before, assuming we still want to continue doing that," Scott said.
In order to prepare for the bond, the board would have to convert its Bond Oversight Committee into the Bond Advisory Committee.
The BAC, which could include members appointed from the LRFPC, would work to put together a bond package for the board to vote on.
Scott said he and Sailors have not worked on a potential bond for EISD like this before, only on "maintenance and efficiency" bonds which include projects such as minor campus renovation projects and technology replacements.
Historically, these maintenance bonds have required at least five or six meetings throughout the fall semester to prepare for. However, Scott estimated another six to 10 meetings would be required to develop plans for the new construction portion.
Scott said the board will need to give the BAC a "defined charge" in order to ensure there is enough money for both the maintenance and efficiency projects and the new construction projects.
"If we look at the the whole scope of the project that was the recommendation of the LRFPC, I don't know exactly how much it would cost because that work hasn't been done yet, but I know it costs more than what we would be able to to create at a 12 cent [interest and sinking] tax rate," Scott said. "... The broader the charge, the more time it's going to take."
Looking ahead
The board could form the BAC in the coming months, as a May 2027 bond would require the board call for an election by late January or early February 2027.
"If you start thinking about what that charge would look like in the spring, and if you create the charge before you take your summer break in June, then we could hit the ground running in August," Scott said. "I think the committee would be able to present you with actionable plan in time for you to order an election."
However, a November 2026 bond would require an election to be called in August 2026, which means the board would need to start thinking about charging the BAC sooner and have work wrapped up in the spring semester.
"I'm very mindful [that] construction costs don't get cheaper, and the longer we push this out, the more expensive these things become," trustee James Spradley said. "But at the same time, I balance that against running a very thorough process. ... I, for one, love the idea of saving operating costs, but I could never support the idea of moving from five elementaries to four without fully vetting that with the community and getting a lot of input into that and making sure everyone understands where we're going."
Trustee Laura Clark also said even if the projects were split into two different bonds, an "immense amount of work" would be needed to go into marketing them to voters.
"We have to show how this directly impacts every single community member, every single taxpayer in the district," Clark said. "I think we can do that. I'm confident we can do it, and I'm confident they'll support us."
