Lake Travis ISD calls $703M bond election for November

LAKE TRAVIS, Texas - The Lake Travis ISD school board has approved calling a $703 million bond election for November.

LTISD says that in June, the Long Range Facilities Planning Committee presented its bond proposal to the board, calling for district-wide improvements to accommodate projected growth in student enrollment.

LTISD is projected to increase in enrollment 3.35% on average annually between 2022 and 2031, resulting in a total enrollment of approximately 15,700 students, according to demographer Population and Survey Analysts (PASA) and considering a moderate growth rate scenario.

As of October 2021, LTISD serves 11,345 students across 11 campuses, according to the district's website.

The major components of the bond include a new high school, two new elementary schools, additions and upgrades to Lake Travis High School, campus and district renovations and improvements, facilities condition assessment projects, technology and land acquisitions.

The bond has been separated into three propositions, each one noting a property tax increase.

Proposition A

Proposition A calls for issuing nearly $550 million in bonds for school facilities, necessary sites, new school buses and the "levying of a tax in payment thereof."

The projects included in Proposition A are:

Elementary School #8 – $50,077,526
Elementary School #9 – $54,677,521
High School #2 – $176,125,620
Bee Cave ES – $5,655,857
Lakeway ES – $5,838,214
Lake Pointe ES – $5,309,113
Lake Travis ES – $5,194,029
Rough Hollow ES – $1,314,165
Serene Hills ES – $6,104,937
West Cypress Hills ES – $2,388,456
Bee Cave MS – $1,993,270
Hudson Bend MS – $7,192,314
Lake Travis MS – $3,715,078
Lake Travis HS & PAC – $74,647,297
Lake Travis HS Annex – $1,669,547
Lake Travis HS Ag Bldg – $4,896,643
Lake Travis HS Comp Arena – $43,963,156
District Facilities – $53,527,587
District Transportation – $9,620,000
Land and Development – $15,000,000
Closing, Admin Costs, Contingency – $19,500,000

Lake Travis ISD starts school year with major bus driver shortage

Out of 75 Lake Travis ISD bus driver positions, 39 of them are vacant.

Proposition B

Proposition B calls for the issuance of just over $60 million in bonds for school technology improvements and the "levying of a tax in payment thereof."

The costs are broken down into:

Elementary School #8 – $840,000
Elementary School #9 – $840,000
High School #2 – $3,865,000
Bee Cave ES – $540,200
Lakeway ES – $483,893
Lake Pointe ES – $388,649
Lake Travis ES – $1,648,450
Rough Hollow ES – $528,781
Serene Hills ES – $1,623,177
West Cypress Hills ES – $580,191
Bee Cave MS – $2,653,975
Hudson Bend MS – $2,474,358
Lake Travis MS – $1,075,794
Lake Travis HS – $2,809,402
District Facilities – $40,438,240

Technology items include staff and student devices, improvements to existing facilities in cabling, wireless, cameras, access controls, classroom and campus AV, network, telecommunications and classroom and campus AV for new campuses.