BOND FAILS
In the Nov. 8 general election last week, Dripping Springs ISD voters did not approve any of the propositions that were included in the 2022 bond referendum.
Dripping Springs ISD is a fast-growth district and still needs to serve the students and families who live in and are projected to move into the district. Currently, three of the district’s eight campuses are over capacity with two more campuses expected to outgrow their campus capacity next year. Over the next several months, district officials will work to understand why the propositions failed and develop plans to serve its growing student population so that it can continue to deliver the exceptional and personalized learning experiences for which the district is known.
DSISD will look at several tactics to help address district growth and current overcrowding at campuses including:
• Rezoning for elementary and middle schools
• Examining class size models (teacher:student ratio)
• Master scheduling
• Purchasing portables
• Long-range planning for future bonds
In 2019, DSISD began planning for the 2022 Bond when the district’s Long-Range Facility Planning Committee convened with 50 members to begin work on developing the district’s long-range facilities plan. The group met 11 times over two years with a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following this process, the district sought community feedback through a series of community meetings, a community survey in the spring of 2022, and a dedicated website. The last phase of the process was the Citizens’ Bond Steering Committee. This group included 17 members (taxpayers and community members only / no district employees) who met six times in the summer of 2022 to prepare a bond package recommendation for the Board of Trustees’ consideration. The Board called for the bond election on August 18 for the November 8 general election.
Unofficial vote totals were as follows: Prop A - Growth & Lifecycle Capital Maintenance FOR: 9,494 (48.3%) AGAINST: 10,167 (51.7%)
*19,661 total votes Prop B - 2nd High School FOR: 9,073 (46.2%) AGAINST: 10,572 (53.8%) *19,645 total votes Prop C - Technology for Staff and Student Devices and Classroom FOR: 9,103 (46.4%) AGAINST: 10,501 (53.6%) *19,604 total votes *29 Travis County votes included in each of the Prop A, B and C totals