Two new elementary schools, possible 2nd high school on the table as Lake Travis booms

The Lake Travis school district is considering what projects to include in an upcoming bond package to accommodate the district’s continued rapid growth. The bond package, which has yet to be approved, might be on the ballot as soon as November.

Stacey Tepera, president of College Station-based Population and Survey Analysts, projected that the district will need two new elementary schools to relieve overcrowding at Rough Hollow and Bee Cave elementary schools in the next few years.

Rough Hollow Elementary is expected to reach 120% capacity next fall and Bee Cave Elementary is projected to reach similar levels of overcapacity the year after. The 120% metric is used because that is the number at which it’s exceedingly difficult to add additional portables or other solutions to stretch space, Tepera said. Whether or not the district wants to intervene before capacity reaches that level is a local decision, she said.

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The demographers project that Lake Travis High School will reach 120% capacity in 2027. When the area is fully built out with all expected developments complete, the expected enrollment at the high school will probably be around 5,500 compared to the current student population of closer to 3,600.

“The question of what that high school capacity needs to look like is obviously something that will be addressed in this bond election,” Tepera said.

She said that could mean building an additional high school or constructing an extension on campus, or some other solution.

The biggest driver of enrollment growth in the district in the next 10 years is new housing in the area, said Population and Survey Analysts demographer Justin Silhavy. The pandemic is still causing lower enrollment for districts across the state, including Lake Travis, and it is not clear if or when that reduction will reverse.

However, employment and housing costs are surging across the Austin area, and in Lake Travis over half of the growth in single family homes over the next five years is expected to come from four neighborhood: Provence, Rough Hollow, West Cypress Hills and Sweetwater.

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Over the next 10 years, the area is projected to gain over 11,000 new single family homes, as well as more multi-family developments as cities contemplate adding workforce housing options.

Other factors driving student growth include how many families are moving into the area, the birth rate, the recapture of COVID-related enrollment loss and potential competition from charter schools.

The school board also heard a presentation from Lizzy Johnson, founder of TransCend, who's work centers on helping school districts create bond proposals. Johnson said her goal is to help the Lake Travis bond advisory committee create a proposal that is community-driven and student-focused by facilitating a series of meetings about the district’s needs. Johnson's contract with the district is under administrative review.

The school board also voted to hold an election on May 7. Place 3, held by Jessica Putonti, Place 4, held by board President John Aoueille, and Place 5, held by Kim Flasch, are all up for re-election to three year three-year terms.

The first day to file to run for office is Jan. 19 and the last day is Feb. 18. Early voting starts April 25.

Note: A previous version of this article misstated the approval process for Johnson's contract.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Lake Travis school district plans new campuses in response to growth