Growth could reopen shuttered school

HUTTO, Texas (KXAN/Community Impact) - An elementary school in Hutto closed two years ago due to a combination of state budget cuts and the housing market crash could reopen as soon as next school year.

The news comes much sooner than expected.

Less than a month ago in the middle of a tax ratification election, Hutto school district officials say they were caught off guard when the fire department informed them water and sewer lines and streets were being laid for more than 1700 new homes right down the road in the Siena development.

"Because developers are under no requirement to work with school districts on setting aside land or space for a school we had no idea it was as far along as it was," said Hutto ISD Spokesperson Emily Grobe.

Developer John Lloyd told KXAN News five different builders have signed contracts to construct homes. Lloyd said 174 homes should be under construction in the next three to four months.

The timing is problematic for a school district where voters just approved higher property taxes to avoid further cuts. Reopening Veteran's Hill would cost an additional one million dollars just to cover support staff, which does not include classroom teachers.

"The list goes on and on," said Grobe. "You have a principal, an assistant principal, you have front office staff, you have a nurse, you have a counselor, a librarian, you have cafeteria workers," said Grobe.

The campus has not been sitting empty. For the last two years, Temple College and Texas State Technical College have rented the building for classes to cover electricity and upkeep.

The district has not made any final decisions about Veteran's Hill. They will wait to see how construction goes and how quickly homes sell.

With the volume of homes planned, the district might be forced to build an entirely new elementary school campus not too far down the road.

On Thursday morning, click here to read more about the development planned in the Community Impact Newspaper.