The May 1 election includes several ISD Trustee places and a bond vote for Liberty Hill ISD. As the school District boundary overlaps the City of Georgetown, these items will appear on some Georgetown ballots.
Liberty Hill ISD voters have the opportunity to approve funding that will prepare the city and the District to accommodate predicted and unprecedented growth that is, to some degree, already happening. Superintendent Steve Snell affirms Liberty Hill growth is in the top one percent in Texas, and the city is poised to be a ‘boomtown’ in the next decade. “We are also the highest performing ISD in Williamson County, and among the highest in Texas. Our long-range planning committee assessed what our needs would be for the next ten years, and this bond will prevent us from having to ask for another election for another 4-5 years.”
As demographers predict enrollment to increase from the current 5,735 to 22,374 by 2030, this bond will be in place to cover the needs where homes are planned or already being built.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
The bond is made up of four propositions totaling $491.7 million, and voters can vote for or against them individually. The superintendent affirmed, even with passage of all four, the city’s tax rate will not increase. “First, we are already at the state maximum of $.50 allowed for school taxes. Second, we have a great plan to pay the bond note, and, most importantly, the organic increase in the number of taxpayers in Liberty Hill will absorb the cost of the bond note.”
He added, while a few new students per campus would be manageable, the District expects 13-16 percent annual growth, and it is important to provide appropriate resources to enable hundreds to maintain the District’s high expectations, and strong culture of character and service. “New students don’t just show up on the first day,” Steve says. “We receive new partners every day; we’ve had the equivalent of two full classrooms just since Christmas, and we hit ‘trigger’ points throughout the year that indicate a need for more space. This bond, among other things, will allow us to purchase land at today’s prices, to help us prepare to cover the needs of those 6,000 new students we will welcome to our District before mid-2025.”
VISIT, AND VOTE
The ISD bond website provides specific details about the contents of each proposition, allowing each voter to compare cost options with their personal views on what is best for the community. Superintendent Snell says the website is a valuable tool and worth a visit; “We want our residents to know what they are paying for, so they can make an informed decision. If the community prefers to expand rather than build new, we are confident to let them decide. The website includes supporting details; e.g., irrespective of the number of schools we build, our bus fleet will need to double to get those students to school each day.”
We’re not doing anything extravagant. We Want to give kids everything they need to have a competitive advantage when they graduate.
Superintendent Steve Snell
AT THE POLLS: For any bond election, the state requires “This is a tax increase” printed on the page. Steve explains this is necessary because property taxes are correlated to bonds of any kind. In this case, the increase is $0.00.