Hays CISD taxpayers are a step closer to potentially having a bond election on their hands.

A board-appointed committee voted unanimously on Nov. 7 to move forward with a bond recommendation that could propose a new middle school and a bevy of other projects.

The program could amass up to $64 million in debt if approved, district officials have said.

Officially known as the growth impact committee, the group will convene at least two more times, on Nov. 14 and 21, as it works on a recommendation slated to come in early December for the trustees' consideration.

The 28 members of the committee have been tasked with identifying the district's priorities among 19 capital improvement projects district administrators have laid out.

"This is very, very important," Superintendent Michael McKie said during the committee meeting. "We are determining the future of the school district. The bottom line is it's all about the kids. We are going to impact their lives."

District administrators have instructed the committee to give each item in the capital improvement plan a ranking from 1 to 5—with 1 being the highest priority and 5 not a priority.

Rankings will be submitted by the end of the Nov. 14 meeting; they will be parsed before the final meeting Nov. 21.

"We believe the 1-through-5 rankings will quickly tell us how the committee feels in reference to which items it feels were at the top and which were at the bottom," McKie said.

If the district were to construct a new middle school, its greatest need exists on the east side of I-35, according to a presentation by consulting firm Templeton Demographics.

The geographic distribution of Hays CISD's middle school enrollment is lopsided, with a majority of students residing east of the highway, the presentation states. About 1,700 middle school students live west of the interstate while roughly 2,200 live east of it.

Middle school enrollment is projected to exceed total capacity next year, the presentation states. The new school would keep the district from going over capacity for at least another five years, according to the presentation.

But building a new middle school would cost a projected $35,000, and the committee could decide that other needs, such as technology upgrades, new buses and security improvements, are more urgent.

"I think it will be important to talk about what is No. 1," McKie said. "Is the middle school in or out? We will have all of those conversations."

If Hays CISD trustees call a bond election, it would be the district's first since 2008, when voters approved an $86.7-million program.