Hays CISD sets budget for new Buda elementary school

Hays CISD's board of trustees voted unanimously to approve a $38.49 million budget for the construction of a new elementary school in Buda's Sunfield development.

The budget total is the guaranteed maximum price from contractor Bartlett-Cocke, which is based in San Antonio but has an office in Austin.

District documents estimate construction will be completed July 29, 2022, and it will be able to serve as many as 900 students. The school was expected to accept its first students in the 2022 fall semester.

According to district documents, the average classroom size for pre-K through first grade is expected to be 19, and second- through fifth-grade classrooms are expected to have an average of 28 students.

Documents comparing Sunfield Elementary School to Uhland Elementary School show a roughly 30% smaller gym at the new school. However, Sunfield will have slightly larger library and dining spaces but will have substantially more administration space.

The new elementary school will also have more rooms for life skill instruction and special education. Additionally, it will have six collaboration spaces to Uhland's two and seven teacher planning rooms, which Uhland does not have any of.

Sunfield will be situated on some 16.5 acres, and the facility will be roughly 114,000 square feet.