On Dec. 15 the San Marcos CISD board of trustees approved transferring nearly $1.3 million from the district's fund balance to cover various bond projects that came in over budget. The move was made necessary after it was found that expenses were going to be higher than originally anticipated. Additionally, asbestos abatement and demolition of the old Bowie Elementary School campus, the site of the district's new pre-K center, were not included in the original budget. The prekindergarten campus and Phoenix campus accounted for a total overage of almost $1.3 million. Superintendent Mark Eads said the district has $29 million in its fund balance. The $1.3 million overage accounts for about 1.6 percent of the total $77 million bond approved by San Marcos voters in 2013. "We are heroes in this process regarding what we've done with our budget and our construction," Eads said. "We are coming in way below the price per square foot. We really are very successful in what we are doing. I'm asking for the $1.3 million with anticipation of not coming back and using all of that." Trustee Lupe Costilla said she was concerned about taking from the fund balance. Costilla said she has been involved in two previous bonds that went over budget. "We never felt like heroes because we had to go into the fund balance," she said. "Fund balance ... can only supplement so much. I've gone through that process where the fund balance also dwindled down." Darren Kirbo, vice president of Huckabee, the architecture firm handling the bond projects, said the district has tightened the budget wherever possible. "We have done everything on our side to make sure we are delivering," Kirbo said. "When we are challenged with the rising cost of construction, we have to balance that with delivering what was promised in the bond and not compromising on quality." Trustees approved the move with a 6-0 vote. Costilla abstained from the vote.