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Leander ISD could see a multimillion dollar bond on the ballot in November, with projects that would address campus needs, safety and security, and technology.
Citizens' Facility Advisory Committee steering committee co-Chairs Rachel Lilla and Clint Pruett presented the bond project recommendations during the July 30 board meeting.
The board will decide later in August if the district will hold a November bond.
Some context
According to Lilla, three tiers were used to consider what would be placed on the recommendation list: Tier 1, or critical needs; Tier 2, or important needs; and Tier 3, or desirable needs.
Lilla said the majority of projects are in Tier 1 and span facilities, safety and security, student programs and support, and energy efficiency and conservation.
The recommendations are also based off two options: a four-year cycle, which "casts a wider net," and a three-year cycle, which would reduce the scope and overall cost of the bond.
Breaking it down
The three-year cycle bond recommendation list would cost $591.23 million, and the four-year cycle would cost $708.5 million.
Per the recommendations list, high school projects include:
Middle school projects include:
Elementary projects include:
Safety and security projects include:
Information technology projects include:
Ancillary projects include:
The full list of project recommendations with individual project costs on a four-year or three-year cycle can be viewed in the board meeting's backup material.
"All of them seemed very valid to us when voting yes [to] put them on the bond," Lilla said. "The actual cost of the bond was something we really struggled with. We voted as a steering committee of, 'What is our goal to reach? What do we think is the most we can ask of the community and that we ourselves would be comfortable with?' We came to the idea of let's just go through and see where we land, and then also give the option of a smaller bond."
What to expect
According to Chief Operations Officer Jeremy Trimble, deferring the bond to May means major projects would be deferred to summer 2028.
"Sometimes, deferring something for six months can cost you a year in construction," Trimble said. "There are small windows, and they continue to get really small in the summers, to do a lot of these major projects."
Chief Communications Officer Crestina Hardie added that the district will begin a communication plan regarding the bond through November.
The board will have final bond and voter-approval tax rate election discussions at its next meeting Aug. 6, and must call for an election by Aug. 17 in order to place the bond package or VATRE on the November ballot.
