On May 7, people who live within Boerne Independent School District boundaries will help determine the direction the district goes for the foreseeable future.
On that day, and also from April 25 to May 3 through early voting, BISD patrons will go to the polls and cast ballots for or against the district’s $165.64 million bond, which is split into two proposals. A simple majority is needed for passage.
Throughout the “For Boerne Schools” bond campaign, which officially began in January when trustees approved the bond package proposal presented to them by the long-range planning committee, the message has been constant, and consistent.
“This bond will help combat the district’s rapidly growing student enrollment,” committee Chair Ernie Pyles told The Star earlier this month. “Since May 2021, the district has gained nearly 1,000 new students, including over 400 since the first day of school on Aug. 11. District enrollment is projected to double to nearly 21,000 by 2031.
“There is simply a need for more room in classrooms for our students. This bond will add 2,400 seats for new students.” He continued.
“The priority maintenance of the bond will help with desperately needed projects that the district has been unable to pay for due to being forced to send over $115 million dollars of our community’s taxpayer money to the state due to recapture.”
The bond measure, which focuses on community growth, safety concerns and the needs of the district, is split into $162.64 million for expansion, maintenance and safety projects and a separate $3 million proposal for technology upgrades.
The $162.64 million proposition includes an eighth elementary school; expansions at Boerne and Champion high schools as well as at North and South middle schools; portable classrooms where the need exists or will exist; land acquisition; a second access point to Voss Middle School and design work for a third high school; general maintenance, including measures to keep BISD Stadium safe and usable in the short term; network infrastructure and an audio/visual “refresh;” an aquatics learning center; work on the old administration building and Boerne Academy; library hubs at four elementary schools; moving and expanding the district’s operations center; and money for planning, management and contingency fees.
The $3 million technology proposition would fund student and staff devices in the eighth elementary school and expansions at the secondary campuses as well as refresh devices at all BISD campuses.
“The long-range steering committee, which consists of over 80 community volunteers, focused on safety, growth, and needs,” Pyles told The Star. “The committee met eight times to package a bond that dealt with immediate needs of the district, not wants. All of these projects are desperately needed at this point. Anything that was not essential or an absolute need was not included in this bond.”
Pyles said the committee, which consists of 82 student, staff and community members, was unanimous in its recommendation after several detailed discussions took place since last August. Committee members looked at BISD’s updated demographic study; toured several campuses and facilities; and discussed expansion options, school finance, other bond propositions based on House Bill 3 and recent results of neighboring school bond elections before prioritizing the district’s needs and safety concerns based on campus and facility survey results.
It also was noted that the propositions, if passed by district voters, would not raise BISD’s tax rate. However, according to the bond language that is required to appear on the ballot, it is considered a property tax increase.
“According to the legislature and House Bill 3 (from 2019), any issuance of debt is considered an increase in taxes,” BISD Chief Financial Officer Wes Scott told The Star in January, adding that language is needed because of interest that will be paid because the district will take out a loan.
“But we will have no anticipated increase in our tax rate,” he said.
Pyles echoed Scott’s comments.
“The BISD tax rate will not increase with the passage of this bond,” he said, adding that as a reminder, “BISD has reduced the tax rate by 15 cents over the last 3 years, and is forecasting the tax rate to decline again this year.”
He also noted property taxes are frozen for residents age 65 and over.
The proposals
A key component to determine the bond proposal items was the district’s updated demographic study, which was presented to the trustees last October. The study, using a moderate growth scenario, predicts the BISD student population to double by the 2031-32 academic year to 20,654 students.
It was reported during the school board’s March meeting that new student enrollment numbers for the upcoming 2022-23 academic year already had nearly reached 500. And at of the end of March, current overall student enrollment in the district was 10,415.
The demographic study was done by Population and Survey Analysts, and it used a 6 to 7 percent predicted annual growth rate to determine its numbers. The majority of the growth is expected in the southern portions of the district and along the Interstate 10 and Highway 46 corridors.
“Families from across Texas and the U.S are moving to Boerne and Fair Oaks Ranch because we have great communities, as well as the reputation we have for student success in our schools,” BISD Superintendent Tom Price said last October when the updated report was released. “We expect that trend to continue for years to come, as evidenced in the PASA report.”
The study determined an eighth elementary school will be needed by about 2025-26, a third high school by about 2027-28 and a fourth middle school by about 2029-30. A ninth elementary school also is in the demographic plan.
Boerne ISD recently has acquired land in two locations – in the Cordillera development near Bergheim and in the Corley Farms development area on the west side of I-10. Although not officially decided, the land – almost 17 acres –is believed to be the spot for Elementary School No. 8.
Pyles said the bond proposal calls for an 800-student school with 34 classrooms. Its projected price tag is $32 million.
Price has said building that school will relieve the crowding at Kendall and Van Raub elementaries.
The expansions at BHS, CHS, BMSN and BMSS would “push off” the need for a third high school and fourth middle school for the time being, Pyles said. In all, including the 800 new students at Elementary 8, the expansions would be able to house the additional 2,400 or so students, Pyles said.
The price tag on that part of the proposition is $45.4 million.
Adding portable classrooms at elementary campuses, purchasing land for future needs, gaining a second access point to Voss Middle School and design work for a third high school carries a $14.84 million cost.
The work on the current stadium at BHS first requires fixing drainage and flood issues on that campus, Pyles said. It also includes additional parking and stadium repairs and renovations, as well as furniture, playgrounds and nursing station upgrades. Also included are 16 new buses.
That price tag is $28.2 million.
The network infrastructure and A/V “refresh” is estimated to cost $9.2 million.
The aquatics learning center is just that – an outdoor pool facility proposed to be built near Champion High School that would allow life- and water-saving classes and swimming lessons to be taught as well as give district swimmers and divers a place to practice and compete.
The aquatic facility can be used as a competition pool, and it will be able to accommodate water polo should the district decide to add that sport. It’s proposed to be 25 meters long with 10 lanes and a diving well. Indoor changing rooms and restrooms are part of the plan. The price is $2.7 million.
The old administration building and Boerne Academy upgrade would help accommodate student growth. It carries a $5.5 million price tag.
Library hubs at Curington, Cibolo Creek, Fair Oaks Ranch and Kendall elementaries would repurpose the current facilities and make them more up to date and user friendly. The projected cost is $5 million.
Pyles said there is a need to move the district’s operation center from its current location off Esser Road. The proposition allows it gradually to relocate to property near Champion the district already owns and next to where the proposed aquatic facility would be built. The first phase would include 5 acres and allow the district’s buses and transportation center to be relocated. The plan would be to have direct access to Highway 46. The cost is $2.5 million.
Finally, $17.3 million was added for extra or contingency fees, additional planning, management costs and other things.
Adding everything up gets Proposition 1 to the $162.64 million.
Proposition 2 is “pretty straightforward,” Pyles said, adding technology needs are required to be placed on a separate proposition. The $3 million cost would accommodate all the needs mentioned earlier.
“This bond is not the largest BISD has had; the 2016 bond was the largest ever at $175 million,” Pyles told The Star. “This bond at $165 million is very conservative. We really focused on immediate needs as well as not increasing the tax rate. Taxpayers should be pleased with the conservative nature of this bond as the tax rate will not increase.
“Again, everything in this bond is a need, not a want.”
Pyles said throughout the committee’s process, it was essential the members be “good stewards” when considering tax dollars.
“We came up with a number that meets those needs, but falls below the threshold to not raise taxes,” he said.
BISD’s current tax rate is $1.2046 for every $100 of assessed value. The rate that was passed last September, despite being almost 5 cents lower than last year, resulted in about a 2 percent tax increase for the average property owner.
Rapidly increasing appraised value of property within the district – up 10 percent from last year – combined with state calculation methods led to that tax increase.
The levy is broken down into a maintenance and operations amount and a debt service number. Those individual levies are 88.06 cents for M&O and 32.4 cents for debt service.
One notable item missing from the proposal is a new athletic stadium. Pyles said the committee kicked that around during several meetings but finally came to a consensus that it made the most sense to continue to repair and use the current facility at Boerne High School and wait until the next round of bond proposals to include a new one.
The Boerne Star will preview the Boerne ISD Place 4 trustee race in the Tuesday, April 26, edition.
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