The district’s board of trustees approved a resolution to create the Long Range Facility Planning Committee during an Aug. 26 meeting. The committee will plan how to utilize MISD’s facilities to maximize their potential and then provide recommendations on facility use for the next 20 years to district leadership, the agenda stated.
“Nothing is happening overnight,” trustee Amy Dankel said. “The committee will go through a thorough process and [create a plan] that will need to be voted on by the board.”
The details
The committee will be made up of a cross-section of the MISD community with parents of current students, retirees, taxpayers without children, civic leaders, district staff and students, said Dennis Womack, assistant superintendent of business, operations and technology.
The board of trustees will be able to nominate five committee members. Any MISD taxpayer will also have the ability to self-nominate, Womack said.
Expected outcomes of forming the committee include creating:
- Adequate facilities
- Intentional learning spaces
- Condition improvements
- A fiscally-responsible plan
- Operating efficiency
- Data-informed plans
The committee’s framework will be based on enrollment, building capacity as well as costs associated with operations and per student costs.
Enrollment has declined since the 2019-20 school year from 24,603 students to 23,383 students in the 2023-24 school year. The district’s demographer is projecting enrollment will increase to 24,759 students in the 2028-29 school year. MISD is expected to surpass 27,700 students by the 2033-34 school year.
Stay tuned
The committee will meet throughout the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years.
It will be formed in the fall of 2024. A board update will be provided in August 2025 with recommendations for facilities provided to the school board in January 2026.
