Taylor schools are inching closer to running out of room, which means the community will soon need to start talking about building new campuses, the superintendent said.
That was the word from Taylor Independent School District Superintendent Devin Padavil during the recent monthly luncheon of the Greater Taylor Chamber of Commerce.
Padavil said acquiring land is an issue for growth.
“We have land, but it is in all the wrong places, currently,” he said.
According to Padavil, property near Main Street Intermediate and Taylor Middle School could be used for a new elementary campus.
However, that would put all of the elementaries on the north side of town.
No matter what, work for a new grade-school campus would have to begin next year to be ready for anticipated expansion, he added.
“In (2026) and (2028) is when we project our elementary schools will be completely over capacity,” he said. “For reference, it takes 22 months from design to completion to build an elementary school.”
The middle school is projected to be over capacity in 2028-29 and the high school will face the same prospect in nine to 10 years.
“We’re not there yet, but the community would need to engage in a conversation of do we believe we should stay one high school and expand the high school? Do we believe we need another high school for our kids?” Padavil said. “All conversations down the road.”
The school board could call for an election to add more campuses between this November and November 2024, and meet the needs of a facility assessment with no tax increase, Padavil said.
If the district asked voters to approve moving money to the Maintenance and Operations fund to increase revenue, there would be no need for additional levies, the superintendent said.
Much of the growth is related to the announcement in November 2021 by Samsung Electronics Corp. to build a $17 billion chipmaking factory in Taylor.
“That is partially due to the fact that Samsung chose to call Taylor their home,” he said. “Our bond capacity over the next decade has more than quadrupled because of their appraisal value joining Taylor ISD.”
Padavil said the fate of a community is tied to the quality of the education it offers.
“One thing that is very clear, not just about Taylor, but in any community, is that the city thrives when the school district is thriving,” Padavil said. “Our charge and our mission is to provide high-quality schools and a high-quality learning environment because we know that is an investment in the city of Taylor.”
In addition to providing a top-notch education, Taylor ISD is dedicated to being fiscally conservative, he added.
The district is organized around four main goals: excellence in student outcomes, exceptional workplace climate, quality customer service and efficient financial stewardship by taking care of taxpayer money.
“We want to provide world-class learning, world-class facilities and low tax rates,” Padavil said.
The superintendent said Taylor has always rallied around its students, schools and staff. He wants that tradition to continue.
“I’ve lived in a lot of different communities, but there is a unique identity in Taylor, Texas, that you just can’t find in other communities,” Padavil said. “It’s important that whatever we do retains it and celebrates it.”
