The Hays CISD Board of Trustees on Monday unanimously called for an $86.7 million bond election on May 10, to pay for two new elementary schools and a new middle school to address continued enrollment growth, and for improvements to campuses throughout the district.

The proposal is expected to have no additional tax rate impact.

The vote was 6-0. Melissa Espinoza had to leave the meeting early because of a family emergency.

The bond vote was based on a recommendation by the citizens’ Growth Impact Committee, which met throughout the fall to determine elementary school attendance zones to accommodate the opening of Blanco Vista and Camino Real elementary schools next year, and to determine the need, feasibility and size of a bond package.

The bond package includes two new elementary schools, a new middle school, $2.4 million for new buses, $2 million for the purchase of land, infrastructure and contingencies, $2 million for technology/security, $7 million for districtwide improvements, $1.3 million to improve the running tracks at Barton, Wallace and Dahlstrom middle schools, and $2 million for furniture, fixtures and equipment in the new schools.

An important consideration of the committee and the ultimate recommendation was to provide funds for parking at several schools and to improve the safety around parent/student pick-up and drop-off at several schools.

“The Growth Impact Committee brought to us a bond proposition that they believe the public will support,” said Chip DuPont, President of the Hays CISD Board of Trustees. “This is a strong recommendation. Basically, we’ll be able to pay for it out of the growth in the district without raising our property taxes beyond what they are now. We were able to do the last bond (November 2006) at no additional tax impact and this bond will also be at no additional tax impact.”

DuPont and Dr. Kirk London, Superintendent of Hays CISD, addressed recent news of a possible economic slowdown.

“Not only do I feel strongly that we’re going to continue to grow 900 to 1,000 students a year, but I am concerned that if we wait until 2010 to do this, we’re going to have significant problems in parts of our district,” Dr. London said. “We also have to look at inflation and the cost of going back and buying portable classrooms as a temporary stopgap. Put with that the fact that we have the ability to do it now with no additional tax rate impact.”

“There has been a slowdown, but that means that instead of growing 12 percent, we’re growing 10 percent,” DuPont said. “If we slow 20 percent off of that 10 percent, we’re still growing 8 percent. We’re looking at what’s going to be happening two and three years from now. This is not a short-term fix; it is part of our long-term plan. Even if we slow from fast-growth to 8 percent, we would still need these new schools.”

Carter Scherff, Hays CISD Chief Financial Officer, reported to the School Board some of the results of a Central Texas housing presentation he attended recently.

“The housing market doesn’t appear to have slowed near as much here as in other areas,” he said, noting three new major subdivisions—Waterleaf, Woodlands Park, Whispering Hollow—are only halfway to their projections. “Around Elm Grove Elementary School, we anticipate another 2,000 homes are being built in Garlic Creek.”

He expects district enrollment this year will be about 1,000 to 1,100 students higher than last year, “which is nice that we didn’t reach the 1,400 or 1,500 that I feared we would. This will give us some time for the commercial development to continue to build.”

Student enrollment in Hays CISD is 13,006, up 1,055 students from this time last year.