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Education Focus - Pflugerville

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Saturday, 07 July 2007

Annual thousand-student growth motivates district’s bond package

If the population expands as much as Pflugerville ISD anticipates, the school district would need a new elementary school every year for the next decade.

The district has seen between a 1,000 to 1,200 increase in student growth for the past three years, and a recent demographer’s survey estimates the numbers of students in the district could double within the next ten years.

“People are coming here because Pflugerville is an outstanding community. It is a great school district with an exceptional reputation; it’s affordable and there is great mobility here,” PISD Superintendent Charles Dupre said. “I think we are going to see a lot of the growth for those reasons.”

The district contracted Deskmap Systems, Inc., an Austin-based firm, to collect demographic data and determine three different scenarios.

The demographers determined that the district could potentially increase by 2,000 students a year in a high-growth scenario.

According to the survey, the next phase of population expansion is expected in the eastern side of the district past Toll 130.

To prepare for expansion, the school district is working with a citizen’s bond committee on a three-year bond proposal that could build a high school, middle school and three elementary schools. The discussion also addresses other issues, including major renovation projects and technology improvements.

Citizen control

This is the first year the district has worked with a committee of citizens, composed of area leaders and key stakeholders from each school, Dupre said. The 60-member committee has met and will continue to meet through the summer to discuss the district’s immediate and long-term needs.

“Our goal is to use their insights and their expectations for the community to put together a package with them,” Dupre said.

Dupre said he is concerned with the number of aging buildings in the district, so the bond package will include money to complete some of the district’s major renovation projects. He said the district would not put routine maintenance items on the bond because that is managed through the normal operating budget. However, special projects require extra funding.

“When you start talking about redoing a whole roof, you are getting into million- dollar projects, and we can’t afford that on our regular budget,” Dupre said.

The citizen’s bond committee has broken the renovation projects down into three sections, including heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, and boilers and roofing.

“Our goal originally is to build buildings to keep up with our growth and to maintain what we already have,” Randy Reese, assistant superintendent of community relations and partnerships said. “We’ve got 29 structures here that we need to maintain, but we do need to add structures to it.”

Technology is another factor that will impact this bond election. Dupre said the district is trying to keep up with recent changes in technology, including wireless systems on campus. Map for Headed East

Bond updates

The bond committee has met with the Board of Trustees and will provide an update for the board on the bonds progress July 12. Dupre and Reese hope to have a finalized bond proposal to bring to the board in late July or early August.

Once approved, the board would call for a bond election Nov. 6, and Dupre will continue to work with the committee to inform the community.

Dupre said the district is not sure how much money it will ask voters to give, but doesn’t expect it will have a drastic impact on property tax.

“There is no fluff in this bond,” Dupre said. “This is very much going to be needs, a must-have kind of deal, and we want people to know that.”

Headed East

In the past, Pflugerville ISD has concentrated its schools in the central and western part of the city. However, with the opening of Toll 130, the school district plans to expand east as development grows in the area.

Pflugerville ISD - District enrollment projections

According to Deskmap Systems, Inc., the Pflugerville school district can expect fast-paced growth in the next decade. The company that provided projections for PISD mapped three potential rates of growth. For creating a November 2007 bond election, PISD used the moderate scenario.

	Historical Scenario		Moderate Scenario		High Scenario
School Year	Total enrollment	Enrollment growth	Total enrollment	Enrollment growth	Total enrollment	Enrollment growth
2006-07	19,762	-	19,762	-	19,762	-
2016-17	33,803	1,735	37,563	2,099	43,998	3,063
Total	14.041 percent		17.801 percent		24.236 percent

Steps to a bond package

PISD commissioned Deskmap Systems, Inc. to complete a demographer’s survey of Pflugerville to determine the community’s rate of growth.
Other firms and staff were asked to complete facility audits and surveys of renovation needs in district buildings.
Everything was compiled to make a preliminary list of needs.
For the first time, the district gathered key stakeholders from each school and other community members to help determine the district’s needs.
The committee viewed a presentation on the report and the facilities audit.
The committee determined a list of needs and combined that with a list of needs presented by the district’s principals.
The committee was presented with reports from district officials including the chief financial officer, who discussed the effect of the tax rate on the community.
*The committee determines the most important needs.
A final list must be completed.
The board of trustees approves the list and calls an election.
The district continues to communicate its need for the bond to the community.
The citizens vote Nov. 6 on the bond.

*The school district is currently in Step 8. During all 12 steps the committee makes regular updates to the school board. At these meetings, the board may have a workshop with the committee to provide feedback. The next workshop will be July 12.