HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — There is $481.1 million available to Dripping Springs ISD if voters pass the bond on the Hays County November ballot. The 2022 bond would include funding for new facilities.
They are facilities DSISD parent Ashley Bobel said are desperately needed.
“I don’t want our kids to go to classrooms with 40 kids. They’re not going to get the quality education that people moved here to get,” Bobel said.
Bobel is concerned about school capacity with the growth in the area.
“It’s in the hallways trying to move to classrooms. It’s the cafeteria. It’s everything,” Bobel said.
That’s why she is voting in support of the district’s 2022 bond.
“The growth in Dripping has caught everyone off guard. It is imperative that we pass this,” Bobel said.
The bond includes three propositions:
- Proposition A: New elementary school, expansion to Sycamore Spring Middle School, new school buses
- Proposition B: New high school
- Proposition C: Technology upgrades
The district said the facilities are needed because of all the new students expected over the next decade.
“In the last 10 years… growth from 4,500 students to 8,500 students, and in the next 10 years we’re looking at growing to about 16,000 students enrolled in our district,” said DSISD Superintendent Holly Morris-Kuentz.
Not everyone is excited about this bond. Bobel said she’s heard some concerns from others.
“That they’re building fancy schools. That we need to put our money more efficiently,” Bobel said.
Ultimately, the final outcome will be left to voters come Election Day. For Bobel, she said her decision is clear.
“These schools cannot handle those kinds of numbers. We have to have additional schools,” Bobel said.
The district said, if passed, the bond would not increase the tax rate. But because of rising property values, people will likely pay more than they did last year.
