Hays CISD trustees eye facilities study contract

More than two-thirds of the money in the district's bond proposal would fund construction projects—the major one being the $35 million new middle school.

But other structural improvements, such as the replacement of the roof at Buda Elementary School's lower campus, were shucked off the list because the pending facilities study may bring alternative recommendations.

The last time the district contracted a firm to study its facilities was before its 2001 bond issue, Scherff said. Because the district does not have an in-house engineering staff, it does not have the capability to evaluate its buildings, he said.

School officials have mentioned the possibility of a new high school on the horizon for the district of about 17,000 students. New schools are among the recommendations that could be made as part of the study.

"This (study) will be a considerable driver of a lot of what we do over the next five years," Scherff said.