At the Round Rock ISD board of trustees regular meeting Thursday night, representatives from the Citizens Bond Committee, or CBC, recommended to the board the district consider a bond election in November. “We as a committee feel that there is a need to move forward with a bond,” committee Chair Kris Parker said at the board meeting Thursday night. “At this point, the committee does recommend moving forward with a November 2018 bond.” On April 12, members of the committee voted unanimously that the district is in need of a bond. 62.7 percent voted in favor of a bond election in November as opposed to May 2019. The board emphasized it is not ready to make a decision regarding a potential bond, but directed the committee to continue exploring the district’s needs and analyze priorities and cost. The committee will present a final report to the board Aug. 2 and the board will then consider whether to call for a November bond election. The deadline to call the election is Aug. 20. Parker said the CBC’s recommendation was driven by immediate needs that committee members perceived in the district as well as the money saved by holding the election in November. According to the committee charter, the CBC consists of three subcommittees: the Districtwide Committee, which focuses on safety, technology and instruction programs for the entire district; the Growth Subcommittee, which focuses on facility needs to address growth in the district; and the Capital Renewal and Replacement Subcommittee, which focuses on components of existing facility infrastructure. More than 250 community members volunteered to participate in the CBC, according to the district. Each member of the board recommended candidates to fill leadership positions and ultimately appointed Parker and David Hansen to act as chair and co-chairman of the committee. The board also appointed six people to work with the subcommittees to lead the volunteers through the process. The district said the CBC will propose and prioritize projects based on the following criteria:
  • Safety and security
  • Demographics and growth
  • Financial efficiency
  • District vision, strategic plan and learning framework