In August 2022, the Hays CISD Board of Trustees charged the Facilities and Bond Oversight Committee (FBOC) to study the need for a future bond election. Following several months of work, the FBOC compiled a list of potential projects for a bond, reaching a consensus in November for a $423 million bond to be on the May 2023 ballot.
During the Dec. 12 school board meeting, FBOC chair Jessica Bedwell explained the FBOC’s process as well as the list of recommended projects.
“We’ve worked to establish a process where we’re looking more like a 10-year plan,” Bedwell said. “We’re growing so much, we know there’s a constant project list.”
Projects on the bond planning worksheet are listed as having 100% of the committee’s support, while others have less than 100% but at least 50% of support. Some of the projects that received 100% committee support include:
• Elementary #17 construction at $75.9 million
• Johnson HS academic addition to increase capacity to 2,800 students at $37.9 million • 79 new school buses (20 for growth, 59 for replacement) at $11.5 million
• Security items, including fencing, cameras and doorbell systems, at $9.8 million
• Initial design fees for high school #4 at $7.2 million
• Technology infrastructure upgrades at $3.9 million Some of the other projects that received at least 50% of committee support include design fees for elementary
We’re growing so much, we know there’s a constant project list.
— Jessica Bedwell #18, an orchestra hall and Mariachi hall at Lehman HS, an IMPACT Center greenhouse, adaptive playground equipment at elementary schools for students with disabilities and a Public Safety Training Academy for the district’s CTE program.
Ultimately, all of the projects listed on the planning worksheet will not make it onto the final bond, per the bonding capacity range.
The bonding capacity range is based on low, medium and high projections. According to HCISD Chief Operations Officer Max Cleaver, the bond range is $365 million at a “slow growth mode” and upwards of $410 million at a “fast growth mode.” Superintendent Dr. Eric Wright said that the district is aiming to stick to a “medium growth range,” so around $50 million worth of projects will have to be removed in order to keep within this capacity.
Even if some projects don’t make this bond, he said, they will stay on the list and can be kept in mind for the next bond sequence.
“We do have to be careful about our bond capacity,” Bedwell said. “This list of things, they’re all important things. None of these are dumb ideas of ways to spend money in our district, but yes, when you see a report like that, it underscores the importance of making sure we’re building the most needed things.”
A $115 million school bond already passed during the May 2022 election, but the district’s continued growth is the driving force behind this bond. Wright noted that 3,500 homes are currently being built in the area with around 2,200 being closed on per year. Additionally, there are 60,000 future lots on the horizon.
“We need to keep the pace so we have suitable facilities for our kids and have enough room for everyone,” Wright said.
Following the December meeting, two bond public forums were established. The forums were held on Jan. 24 and 26 in the Kunkel Room at Historic Buda Elementary and the Lehman High School cafeteria, respectively.
During the Jan. 24 public forum, resident Martin Juel voiced concerns with the balance of the bond planning worksheet, noting that there was significantly less investment in Hays High School ($34 million) compared to Lehman ($91 million) and Johnson ($97 million).
“From a taxpayer’s stance, my taxes are going to go up equally to the other zones [Lehman and Johnson],” Juel said. “As far as property values are concerned, the investment is being put on those two high schools. That’s going to impact the desirability of Hays High School as a prospective homebuyer … The growth is coming to Hays High School, and yet the investment isn’t.”
There will be another opportunity for the community to share their thoughts on the bond to trustees in person at the Feb.
6 bond workshop, where they will determine the final project list as well as scope and cost of each project, define the ballot proposition and consider adopting the bond election order, which they must do by Feb. 17 in order for the bond to be on the May ballot.
Questions, comments, concerns and ideas for the bond can also be submitted at www.hayscisd.net/bond2023 under the “Bond Talk” button through Feb. 6. More information on the bond can be found at this link, as well as www.hayscisd.net/fboc where the bond planning worksheet is posted.
