Posted: Fri, 9 Sep 2011 09:48 AM - 13,329 Readers

By: Taylor Short

Lake Travis Independent School District residents will vote Nov. 8 on a proposed $158 million bond, which includes funding for a new elementary and middle school, an expansion of Hudson Bend Middle School, expanding Lake Travis High School into Lake Travis Middle School and several other district–wide projects.

LTISD Board President Jason Buddin said this bond is critical to meeting the needs of about 300 to 400 new students each year—an annual growth rate of more than 6 percent—and would provide adequate facilities and improvements through 2020.

Bond advisory committee

Knowing expansion would be necessary for the district to continue, the LTISD board of trustees appointed a bond advisory committee to determine the needs of LTISD.

The district identified more than $266 million in possible bond components, which was later trimmed down to about $85 million by district staff. The 27-member committee was established in December 2010 to evaluate the remaining $180 million list of projects.

“While district administration provided oversight and support during the bond preparation process, members of the citizens’ committee spent a great deal of time reviewing lots of data, asking the tough questions and preparing the final bond package,” Buddin said. “This proposed bond referendum ultimately belongs to them and the community they represent.”

Composed of residents in each of the school attendance zones, the committee was charged with developing a package no later than May.

Bee Cave Councilman, Lake Travis High School alumnus and committee member Robert Dorsett said the first step was to verify all the information.

“I think everybody on that committee understood that if we’re going to be making decisions on what we think we should ask the community for, it’s our credibility at stake,” he said.

The focus was always providing new facilities at the most effective cost, though technology and athletic improvements were divisive issues. In the end, Dorsett said the group felt the final proposal was lean.

“Everybody knew that when it was all said and done, we were going to be the ones out talking to our neighbors about it and we had to look at them and say, ‘We did a good job,’” he said.

Demographic report

In February, College Station–based demographic firm Population and Survey Analysts released a district-commissioned report that shed light on the growth and gave the committee hard numbers to use in decision-making.

Using student residential locations, potential growth, housing trends and economic factors, the study identified patterns of growth in the coming decade. The presentation showed that new housing, including apartments, will determine what kind of growth will happen in the LTISD area over the next several years.

The report also showed that Bee Cave, Lake Pointe, Lake Travis, Lakeway and Serene Hills elementary schools are expected to reach capacity by the 2015–16 school year. Lake Travis High School would be full by 2013–14 and the two middle schools—Lake Travis and Hudson Bend—would reach the maximum student population by 2012–13.

Previous bonds

LTISD has been successful in passing bonds in years prior.

Voters approved a $36.3 million bond in 2003, which funded the replacement of Lake Travis Elementary School, the expansion of Lakeway, Bee Cave and Lake Pointe elementary schools and district–wide upgrades.

Another bond was developed and approved in 2005. This $126.8 million bond included the renovation and expansion of Lake Travis High School, the construction of Serene Hills Middle School, expansion of both middle schools, athletic facility improvements, construction of a transportation facility and acquisition of land for future growth.

The bonds increased district facility square footage by about 41 percent and addressed growth issues for several years.

Buddin said while there is no formal survey of the community’s thoughts on the latest bond, he believes the community will respond well to the continued investment in the schools.

“We continue to receive strong support for that,” he said.

Community meetings

Interim Superintendent Susan Bohn has worked to provide oversight and support during the process, she said. At community-wide presentations throughout September and October, residents will be able to become more familiar with the projects.

“Our goal is to provide as much factual information as possible so that voters can make an informed decision come Nov. 8,” she said.

*  Story Contributed by: Taylor Short