Voters consider $892M AISD bond

The bond program also includes safety and security improvements, such as adding surveillance cameras. Superintendent Meria Carstarphen said that because of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut last December, Austin ISD parents expect the district to update its security.

"No school and no [school] system is doing a great job if safety isn't your No. 1 priority for staff and students and the families that come on our campuses," Carstarphen said.

The bond program includes four propositions that address energy conservation, transportation and food service upgrades, academic initiatives and new infrastructure. Proposition 2 includes building three new elementary schools, which would be determined by population growth, board President Vincent Torres said.

Torres said that because there is no available land to build new schools in Northwest Austin, the district is working with existing facilities to address overcrowding issues.

"We're constantly looking at demographics across the district, and obviously that's where we need to put schools, where we have the most kids and the least space," Torres said.

He cited an example of how the district is helping to relieve overcrowding at Cook Elementary School by renovating an existing nearby commercial facility and repurposing it for a school. Other schools in North Austin would receive campus-wide upgrades to technology and other school-specific projects, such as resurfacing the running track at Murchison Middle School. Anderson High School would see improvements to the dance floors and theater, renovations to the locker room and weight room and resurfacing of the running track.

In addition to the projects, Carstarphen said it is also important to the district to ensure that there are enough funds for the maintenance and operations of the facilities.

She said the district has a loose timeline of when specific bond projects would take place, but that it is subject to change based on which propositions, if any, voters approve. Should voters approve the bond, the district will have a more definitive timeline of when projects will occur by the end of the school year, she said.

"This will be the first time that the district has ever had some kind of plan that articulates the step-by-step of when things will happen," Carstarphen said.

Community response

Robert Thomas is on the Community Bond Oversight Committee and is a board member for the Northwest Austin Civic Association. Speaking as a Northwest Austin resident and not a representative of either organization, he said he wants what is best for the community.

"I'm very supportive of the bonds, but I am unsure how I will vote on each individual proposition," Thomas said.

He said many residents would like to see the district address overcrowding in Northwest Austin schools such as Murchison Middle School and Anderson High School. That might persuade them to vote for Proposition 2, which includes eliminating portable classrooms and building new infrastructure on existing campuses to aid with overcrowding.

He has heard other concerns from North Austin residents about what might happen to the schools if the bond does not pass and the increase in residents' property taxes if it does, he said.

Other potential area school bonds

The Pflugerville ISD board of trustees has discussed using bond money to fund a new high school, but the board is unlikely to discuss it further until after its May 11 board election.

On Dec. 4, the Austin Community College board of trustees approved Nov. 5, 2013, as the date for a possible bond election, but an election has not been called. Round Rock ISD decided not to call a 2013 election, and no decisions have been made for 2014 or 2015, according to district staff.