HUTTO – Hutto Independent School District Board of Trustees is considering a $482 million bond package that will pay for new schools, renovation and maintenance of existing schools and technology upgrades. If it proceeds, the bond will be on the ballot in May, 2023. The last Hutto ISD bond was passed in 2019.
The Long Range Facilities Planning Committee presented the bond recommendations to a packed house at the Dec. 8 board meeting. No community members spoke against the bond during the public comment period before the presentation. The board has until Feb. 17, 2023, to decide whether to formally call a school bond election.
The planning committee included a wide range of community members, from students to grandparents, volunteers to businesses leaders, educators to alumni.
It was led by Hutto ISD Sperintendent Dr.
Celina Estrada Thomas and facilitated by Dr.
Lizzy Johnson, CEO of Transcend4.
Committee member Ashley Rendon is the parent of three students in Hutto ISD schools.
“My experience on the committee was quite eyeopening,” she said. “This committee really represents a cross-section of the Hutto ISD community so all voters should feel represented.”
The committee met six times and the meetings included education about the basics of school finance, demographics, district needs, tours of existing schools and lists of projects to be considered. The planning committee then voted on priorities to develop the total bond package. Planning committee member Brian Thompson gave the board some key factors he believes the community should keep in mind regarding the need for a bond. “Hutto ISD’s five-year housing forecast projects another 8,500 single family units and 2,600 multi-family homes,” he said, speaking of the district’s growth.
“By the 27-28 school year student enrollment is expected to exceed 13,000 students and by 2032 it’s expected to exceed 17,000 students.” Current district enrollment is approximately 9,700 students.
Alexx Davis, a Hutto High School student who served on the committee, was likewise impressed by what she learned about the district’s projected growth. “I learned how fast Hutto has grown in the last five years and how districts like ours accommodate a sudden influx of students in a short time period,” she said. “I also learned what it takes to financially support a district like ours. I appreciated having a voice and being able to have input into the decisions that affect students like myself.”
