The San Marcos CISD board of trustees will hold a workshop at a date to be determined at which trustees will discuss the potential of purchasing or leasing portable buildings to provide classroom space for students in the district’s elementary schools.

Trustees discussed the issue at a meeting Monday night, at which district staff indicated current projections show SMCISD elementary schools will be dealing with capacity issues in the 2017-18 school year.

At Travis Elementary School, district projections show the third grade is expected to be over capacity by 11 students, and fifth grade is expected to be over capacity by 10 students.

The district is working on design and phasing of projects to be funded by the $107.3 million bond approved by voters in May. According to a district timeline, construction of the new bond-funded elementary school campus—which could relieve some of the capacity issues—will not begin until summer 2018.

The district presented the board with information on portables earlier this spring and indicated adding buildings at Crockett and Travis elementary schools would be difficult because of environmental factors.

“We know the district spoke very loudly that they wanted to increase capacity, and we’re just not doing that in a very expedient way, in my view,” trustee John McGlothlin said.

In addition to the new elementary school, which will be built on a site within the Trace development near I-35 and Posey Road, the bond will fund the addition of four classrooms at Bowie Elementary School. McGlothlin and trustee Miguel Arredondo said they wanted the board to be able to consider expediting expansions of classroom space at elementary schools.

“When I’m considering portables, the question of how long we’re going to be constrained with numbers impacts the manner in which I would handle a portable consideration,” McGlothlin said.

Jay Wesson, SMCISD director of facilities and construction, provided the board with cost estimates for purchasing and installing portable buildings. A double-classroom portable building would cost $145,200, according to Wesson’s estimate. A single-classroom portable would cost $103,650.