Residents will have an opportunity to tell the San Marcos CISD board of trustees how they feel about its potential donation of the old Bonham Elementary School campus to Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos, a nonprofit cultural center, on April 15.

The board voted 6-1, with trustee Kathy Hansen as the sole dissenting member, to schedule a public hearing to be held April 15 regarding the possible donation. Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos, also commonly known as El Centro, currently resides at the old Bonham Elementary building at 211 Lee St. in San Marcos.

The prospect of the donation comes as the board tries to garner a broader consensus on where to build a new central administration building ahead of its April vote on the matter.

Currently, the district pays $12,000 a month in rent for a temporary office space ever since it moved out of the original central administration building on S. LBJ Drive upon the discovery of mold.

At their Feb. 18 meeting, some trustees said they believe the board could decide on the site with a less divided board if they knew that El Centro would be unaffected by their decision.

Some board members fear that El Centro, which sits on part of the district property where the old administration building once stood, would be vulnerable to being sold by a future school board if the trustees choose not to build the new office on the same property.

The district is set to consider in April whether or not to rebuild the administration office on the S. LBJ Drive property or to build it on a vacant district property on the corner of Hunter Road and Suttles Drive.

Trustee Miguel Arredondo said he believes the vote would not be so split if some trustees knew that El Centro’s preservation would be ensured.

School districts are allowed to donate what is deemed as “surplus” property, according to Section 11.541 of the Texas Education Code.