Focusing on community growth, safety concerns and the needs of the district, the Boerne ISD Long-Range Planning Committee recommended a $162.64 million bond to the board of trustees during a special meeting Tuesday night.
A separate $3 million technology bond also is on the table.
The recommendation is to place the measures on the May 7 general election ballot.
“We wanted to stay on target for where our students need to be,” committee Chair Ernie Pyles told the trustees during his presentation in the board room. “The committee looked at immediate needs and where the district might need to go in the future.”
The $162.64 million proposition includes an eighth elementary school in the district; expansions at Boerne and Champion high schools as well as at North and South middle schools; portable classrooms where the needs exist 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 useable 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 buses; 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 facilities.
No action was taken on Tuesday, as the meeting was considered a workshop, but trustees could decide to adopt, reject or alter the propositions during their next regular board meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Monday. That meeting is open to the public.
Pyles said the committee, which consists of 82 student, staff and community members, was unanimous in its recommendation after several hearty discussions took place since last August. Committee members looked at BISD’s updated demographic study; toured several campuses and facilities; 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.
“We arrived at a consensus for the bond package recommendation,” Pyles said, adding the unanimous recommendation only was reached after an additional meeting was called in January when there was not a consensus in December.
If the trustees approve the bond proposals on Monday – whether they are altered or not in the process – they could appear on the May 7 ballot. Simple majorities then are needed for passage.
Several of the school board members praised Pyle and the committee for their work.
“This is all very encouraging from what I’ve seen,” Trustee Carlin Friar said.
It also was noted that the propositions, if approved and then 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, 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.
Superintendent Tom Price also stressed that BISD has a strong population of individuals over age 65 who have their tax rates frozen.
“This is a good situation for them,” he said.
No new stadium
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.
It was agreed that the current BISD stadium needs help and safety upgrades to make it useable year after year, and those will be taken care of, but Pyles said going that route for a couple or few more years made the best sense considering all of the other pressing needs the bond proposal currently on the table addresses.
It was noted that the current stadium eventually could become a “JV stadium” and a new facility could be built at a neutral site somewhere in the district. Land probably would have to be purchased first as well as coming up with a solid plan of attack.
Pyles also said that the “vast majority” of athletic propositions failed in November 2021 bond elections, including in the neighboring New Braunfels and Comal ISD districts. There, both ISDs were successful in “growth” and “technology” bonds, but not with athletic-related proposals. he said.
“We know our stadium has some safety problems and it’s approaching its end of life, but we also know we don’t have to do something irrational at this point,” Price told The Star. “We can take our time on this a little more and take the time to look at the best stadium option.”
The superintendent said at this time, the cost estimate for a new stadium is in the neighborhood of $21 million, “no matter where we would put it.”
“This gives us the time to make sure we do it right,” he said.
The proposals
Pyles also said research showed that school bond issues had a better chance of passing in May than November. He quoted statistics, saying “November constitutional elections are challenging” and only 60 percent of them passed last November statewide as opposed to an 82 percent success rate in May.
“It’s important for us to take advantage of the statistics,” Pyles said.
Traditionally, May elections have a much lower turnout than November elections, so fewer “yes” votes would be needed for passage.
A key component to determine the bond proposal items was the district’s updated demographic study, which was presented to the trustees in 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. Last week, the district’s student count was 10,417.
The 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,” Price said in 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.
Information presented by Pyles during his presentation showed all of BISD’s seven current elementary schools will have significantly increased enrollment by 2026. By 2031, three of them (Herff, Cibolo Creek and Kendall) are projected to have more than doubled in enrollemnt compared to current numbers if an eighth elementary school is not added.
At the middle school level, both North’s and South’s enrollments are projected to double between now and 2031, with Voss not too far behind.
When looking at the two high schools, BHS is projected to double in population by 2031 while Champion’s enrollment is predicted to grow by about 128 percent over the same timeframe.
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 – near I-10 is believed to be the spot for Elementary School No. 8.
On Tuesday, Pyles said the bond proposal calls for an 800-student elementary school with 34 classrooms. Its projected price tag is $32 million.
“Building that school will relieve the crowding at Kendall and Van Raub (elementaries),” Price said. “And we know along Interstate 10 is where some of our greatest growth will occur.”
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 an additional 2,300 students, Pyles said.
The price tag on that part of the proposition is $45.4 million.
Price stressed the need for a third high school at this time isn’t there, but that the district will continue to be proactive in meeting the needs of its students at all grade levels.
“There just isn’t a real need for a third high school at this time,” he said.
Adding portable classrooms at elementary campuses, purchasing land for future needs, gaining a second access point to Voss Middle School and prepatory 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 elsewhere. 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 Boerne (city) pool is just not getting it done anymore,” Pyles said.
The aquatic facility can be used as a competition pool, Price said, 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 cost 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.
Wrapping up
“We focused on the needs, not the wants,” Pyles said as he was wrapping up his presentation.
He also said it was essential the committee be “good stewards” when considering taxpayer dollars.
“We came up with a number that meets those needs, but falls below the threshold to not raise taxes,” he said. “It’s important to have the commitment from the board and community on this.”
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 the year before – combined with state calculation methods led to the 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.
Price said he was impressed with the committee’s efforts and stressed it was a grassroots effort that was community-driven.
“We ended up hitting the things we needed to address at this time,” he said. “I’m very impressed that this many people came to a consensus in a school district that is growing in such a dynamic way.”
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