The Georgetown ISD board of trustees set the maximum construction costs for the two new elementary schools it intends to build by the start of the 2020 school year during its April 15 meeting.

David Biesheuvel, GISD executive director of Construction and Development, said the total cost to construct the Wolf Ranch Elementary School, located in the Wolf Ranch master-planned community south of Hwy. 29, will be $29,668,098, and the total cost to construct Everett L. Williams Elementary School, located on Rockride Lane near the new Fairhaven housing development, will be $30,631,328.

Biesheuvel said the cost is higher on the Williams school because of different land geology requiring more expensive materials. He added that about $350,000 from the Williams project will go toward off-site improvements that include bringing utilities to the site.

Both projects are being funded through the 2018 school bond that voters approved in November. They are expected to take 14 months to construct, Biesheuvel said.

Biesheuvel added that both projects have been priced about $5 million below what was budgeted in the bond and come with a $600,000 contingency contract, which allows for up to that amount to return to the GISD 2018 bond funding if unspent.

“You guys know with the growth we are experiencing in Georgetown right now, two elementary schools were a critical priority for us in the bond, so thanks to the community for allowing us to proceed with these crucial needs we have for our students,” GISD board President Scott Stribling said.