NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – The Comal ISD school board openly discussed the 2013 bond failure Thursday evening and spoke about what the district's next step might be to address continued growth.
Weeks after voters turned down Comal ISD's $451 million bond proposal, board members discussed possibly putting a much smaller, more focused bond on the May 2014 ballot.
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Opponents of the bond, which failed by a 54% to 46% vote, argued that the bond was too vague about where new schools would be built and when. Board members agreed that smaller bonds, closer to the 2008 bond of $208 million, might be a better route to go in the future.
They all spoke against boundary changes to help schools near capacity, calling that a temporary fix. According to district projections, the student population will grow from 19,000 to 32,000 students over the next ten years. Half the 26 schools are projected at well beyond capacity.
The 2013 bond called for the construction of two high schools, two middle schools and the possible addition of another middle school or two elementary schools.
Board president David Drastata said the short timeline to place a bond on the May ballot was not an issue, saying they have all the data needed to proceed.
The district would have to submit the bond request no later than Feb. 28 of next year. There is a scheduled board meeting on Feb. 27.
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