New faces elected to school board
DRIPPING SPRINGS — Dripping Springs voters passed a $223.7 million bond to keep up with the district’s growth during the May 6, 2023 election. Voters also decided who would fill the DSISD Board of Trustees positions and whether or not to pass North Hays County Emergency Service District No. 1’s Proposition A.
The DSISD bond consisted of one proposition focused on projects for the district’s growth, capital improvement and renovation projects — this includes the design for a seventh elementary school, third middle school and second high school. According to unofficial results, 4,742 or 64.12% of voters favored the bond while 2,653 or 35.88% were against it.
Elections for DSISD Board of Trustees positions are held each May, with either two or three seats coming up for reelection as terms are three years in length. Trustees do not represent places as they are at-large representatives.
Kim Cousins and Rob McClelland each won an at-large seat on the board. Cousins led by 30.7% of the votes, while McClelland had 25.09% of the votes. Ron Jones (incumbent) had 23.23% of the votes and Jeffrey Aylstock had 21.61%.
Cousins comes to the board with 10 years of education experience. She was previously the principal at Dripping Springs High School and then in 2013, she spent a few years working as director and board member of the Austin School for the Performing and Visual Arts before retiring altogether. Prior to her time in DSISD, she spent almost eight years in Lake Travis ISD as an assistant principal at Lake Travis High School and principal at Hudson Bend Middle School. She also worked in Goose Creek ISD and Clear Creek ISD before moving to the Austin area.
“I am a lifelong educator and I love kids,” she said. “I believe my background and experience have prepared me for this and will help me understand and work successfully with the unique needs of our community.”
Cousins added that she encourages the continuation of the Long-Range Facility Planning process for the fast-growth district, creating a safe and secure environment for the mental health of staff and students and transparency.
“One thing the district can possibly try to improve upon is increasing lines of communication with the community and making sure they are receiving the messages sent and are aware of all the information currently available to them as taxpayers in the community,” Cousins said.
McClelland currently serves as director of operations for Bannockburn Baptist Church in Austin, Dripping Springs and the Buda/Kyle communities. He has also held leadership positions in several organizations in the military, the federal government, business and nonprofit sectors. His 12-year career as an officer in the United States Army culminated as logistics director at the White House Military Office in Washington D.C. responsible for all logistical operations in support of Presidential Contingency Operations. In business, McClelland spent time as director of operations for the nation’s third-largest vacation rental company in Austin with an emphasis on high quality operations excellence and the recruitment and retention of employees serving in more than 30 markets across the nation.
He previously served as a Watch Dog volunteer at Rooster Springs Elementary. He is also a supporter of Sycamore Springs athletics and band and is a frequent attendee of Dripping Springs football games. Both of his children attend DSISD schools.
“I am humbled by the opportunity to serve the Dripping Springs community as a school board trustee,” McClelland said. “I am thankful for the thousands of folks who have put their trust in me to govern our public schools well.”
He added that he intends to move the needle on the four key tenants of his campaign during his time as a trustee.
“Ensuring Dripping Springs has a responsible growth strategy to meet the needs of the future, have the safest schools in the State of Texas, improve engagement between parents and the school district and support our current and future teachers through recruiting and retention incentives,” he said.
Also on the ballot was a proposition for the North Hays County Emergency Services District No. 1 to move the tax cap from the current rate of $0.03/$100 of assessed home value to $0.10/$100 assessed value, enabling the entity to come to voters in the future for a tax rate increase. This proposition passed with 4,768 or 65.08% voting in favor, while 2,558 or 34.92% voted against it.
North Hays County ESD No. 1 is the emergency medical services provider for the northern portion of Hays County, including Dripping Springs, Driftwood and Henly. Its service area covers 244 square miles.
Election results will remain unofficial until canvassed and certified.
