2018 Bond Program
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Dripping Springs ISD voters approved a $132 million bond referendum on May 5, 2018. The bond package included funding for expansion of Dripping Springs HS to capacity for 2,500 students, construction of a new elementary school (#5), construction of a new Walnut Springs Elementary adjacent to Dripping Springs MS, conversion of the current WSE campus into space for the district administration and daycare facility, miscellaneous projects at Dripping Springs MS, Dripping Springs Elementary and Rooster Springs Elementary, turf and track improvements at Dripping Springs HS and Dripping Springs MS, improvements and expansion of the District Transportation facility, district-wide technology infrastructure improvements and maintenance upgrades, and land acquisition.
In preparation for the bond program, The district’s Long-Range Facility Planning Committee met throughout the fall to assess the status of current district facilities and identify potential new facilities or improvements to existing ones that would support DSISD's mission and serve students. The open-invitation group included representation from more than 100 community members, parents, faculty, and district administrators. The committee discussed various options regarding locations and models of future schools, including the concept to place elementary and middle schools at the same location where possible. This concept led to the proposal to relocate Walnut Springs Elementary to the Dripping Springs Middle School site and convert the current WSE building to the DSISD Administration Building and child care facility. Three community meetings were held in December and January to provide updates on the long-range facility planning process, including the idea of creating shared elementary and middle school campuses where possible. In addition, Superintendent Bruce Gearing discussed facility planning at several staff and parents meetings at various campuses.
Starting in early January 2018, the DSISD Bond Steering Committee (23 members) took the work of the Long-Range Facility Planning Committee and developed a recommendation for a bond package to present to the Board of Trustees. That process included examination and prioritization of the full list of potential projects identified and submitted by the Long-Range Facility Planning Committee, consideration of bonding capacity, discussion of input, and identification of projects to be included in the recommendation for a bond package totaling $132 million.
Bond Fact Sheet (English and Spanish)
IMPLEMENTATION OF BOND PROGRAM:Work has begun on several projects from the 2018 bond program. Sale of the bonds occurred on Sept. 20, 2018. Corgan has been chosen as the architect for the projects. The process to select a construction manager at risk has begun and the selection is set to be made in November, 2018.
The first projects that will get underway will be the high school expansion, renovation projects at Dripping Springs Elementary and Rooster Springs Elementary, and the renovations at the DSISD Transportation Center.
Stakeholder input will help shape the projects included in the bond program. Currently, the Corgan architect team and district's Facility and Construction Department is working closely with campus administration and teachers at Dripping Springs High School to identify program needs for the planned additions and renovations. Construction on this project will start following the conclusion of the 2018-19 school year. In the spring of 2019, stakeholder input will be gathered on the Walnut Springs Elementary new construction project, including any impact of Dripping Springs Middle School, and Elementary School #5.
