By Exsar Arguello
The fight over Dripping Springs $132 million bond package may not be over just yet.
On May 14, the Citizens for Excellent Education in Dripping Springs (CEEDS) successfully fundraised roughly $1,500 to conduct a recount through Hays County and DSISD.
The move, which was officially organized May 10, came as a result of the bond passing by a slim 31 vote margin May 5.
Dripping Springs ISD $132 million bond package is aimed at infrastructure improvements to accommodate the growing population.
The recount petition was filed and approved May 12 and the results of the recount were scheduled to be released May 16.
According to the Texas Secretary of State’s Office, the school district and CEEDS can have two representatives present for the recount, or they can have a recount supervisor. Carrie Kroll, DSISD Board of Trustees president, will be one of those supervisors.
There will be two teams of three people present for the recount that will be selected by the school district, said Jennifer Anderson, elections administrator for Hays County; those teams are chosen by the school board.
DSISD is in charge of the recount and the petition was made to the district.
“Results on election day affirmed that the community was evenly divided on the bond, despite the district and the pro-bond PAC [Political Action Committee] spending thousands of dollars in advertising and promoting the bond,” said Valerie McConahay, assistant treasurer for the CEEDS. “One thing is for certain: our community is ready for change.”
McConahay said if the election results of the election are reversed, the organization would be happy with the result.
“This was a very close election and we are aware that a request can be made for a recount,” said DSISD Superintendent Bruce Gearing. “There is a process in place for this to be done, as outlined by the Secretary of State’s office.”
Gearing said the district was scheduled to canvass election results on May 14, which was two days before the deadline for a recount request.
The results from the recount were not available as of press time, but an update will be published as the information is provided by the Secretary of State’s office.
Part of DSISD’s bond package includes additions to Dripping Spring High that would allow for an increase to 2,500 students, as the campus has reached capacity.
The bond came to fruition after the district’s projections showed the population of the campuses to double within the next decade.
However, based on these projections, another bond would need to be issued by 2021 to accommodate new students in the district.
“The purpose of the recount is to ensure that the initial unofficial reports of the result are in fact accurate and that every eligible vote is counted,” McConahay said.
