On Feb. 18, San Marcos CISD Superintendent Mark Eads recommended the board of trustees call a May election for a pair of bond propositions totaling more than $80 million.

The first proposition, at $59 million, would include construction of a new prekindergarten facility and a new student activity complex, and it would pay for renovations to Miller and Goodnight middle schools and Hernandez, Mendez and De Zavala elementary schools.

The second proposition would ask San Marcos CISD voters whether the district should issue bonds totaling $18.5 million to build a new football stadium and possibly $4.3 million more for a new aquatic training center.

In order for the propositions to be placed on the May ballot, Eads said the board must decide at its next meeting, on Feb. 25, whether to call the bond election. Some board members expressed concern about the costs and uncertainties about state funding, among other issues.

"I just feel this process has been very rushed and very fast," trustee John Crowley said.

"Every month that we delay, we're spending an extra 1 percent in construction costs alone," Eads said. "The proposal we have right here, delayed a year, is close to another $10 million, $12 million, in construction costs alone."

In addition to the bond propositions, Eads recommended the trustees use money from the district's fund balance to pay for $3.3 million in technology upgrades and $3.5 million for improvements at the central office complex.

Eads said some of the projects were "nonnegotiable" because of federal Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.

The renovations to Mendez, Hernandez and De Zavala elementary campuses would cost an estimated $11.5 million, improve energy efficiency and bring the buildings in line with ADA rules, Eads said. If the board does not call the bond election, he said the improvements would have to come from the district's budget for maintenance and operations within the next five years.

"And when we do that, I'll be coming to you and saying, 'OK, here's the program we're going to cut that had a positive impact on academics. Here's the teaching positions we're going to have to cut because we don't have resources to take care of those,'" Eads said.

Trustee Lupe Costilla said she wanted to know how the district's budget would be affected by the projects, which would require increased funds for staffing and upkeep.

"I haven't seen those numbers," she said. "What is going to be the impact? Not an exact number, but some estimate."

Eads said there were too many unknown variables to provide more detailed information about the bonds' effect on the district's finances, but he singled out the prekindergarten facility as an expense that would have long-reaching effects for students. Investing in earlier grade levels would save money and improve academic performance for students later in their academic careers, he said.

"We can argue all day long about cost and impact," Eads said. "We know that our responsibility—what we're charged with—is to educate our children. We can take care of it, and we can do it."

An advisory committee made of up district parents and community members had recommended calling for a single $80 million bond election, but Eads said he decided to recommend splitting the projects into two propositions after hearing from additional community members and board members who questioned the need for a football stadium. The San Marcos High School Rattlers play home games at Texas State University's Bobcat Stadium.