Lampasas ISD’s Facilities Planning Committee is inching closer to making a recommendation on what items should be featured in a May 2026 bond election.
During Monday’s committee meeting, members ranked facility improvements they believe are priorities. A new middle school was at the top of the list, followed by security improvements at each of the district’s three elementary school campuses.
At the committee’s previous meeting in September, members listed their “wish” items for consideration in a bond election. On Monday, the 40-plus member committee broke into eight small groups to rank the items they believed the district should focus on.
The following are the 18 facility improvements members were tasked with ranking and their approximate price tags:
• safety and security improvements at the district’s three elementary schools, $4 million
• traffic solutions at Taylor Creek Elementary School, $588,600
• a new middle school, $92.667 million
• demolition of the existing middle school, $1.481 million
• improved traffic flow at Lampasas High School, $1.489 million
• new welding shop at LHS, $2.55 million
• additional ag classrooms, $2.747 million
• new auditorium/fine arts center, $35.97 million
• renovated theater for black box setup, $2.398 million
• renovated theater for black box set and renovated new shop, $3.021 million
• open-air, multi-purpose facility with full-size field with end zones, $14 million
• enclosed and airconditioned multi-purpose facility with 60- to 80-yard field, weight room and locker rooms, $23 million
• Badger Field concessions building with restrooms and locker rooms, $6.042 million
• renovated LCHEC building with restrooms and locker rooms, $3.651 million
• LHS track and turf field improvements, $1.5 million
• new school buses, $6 million
• renovate existing middle school building for Disciplinary Alternative Education Placement, LISD administration and board room, $10.981 million
• maintenance and transportation facility improvements, $2 million
FACILITY IMPROVEMENT RANKINGS
At the September meeting, Facility Planning Committee members learned LISD has a bond capacity of $93.265 million that it could spend on improvements without a tax rate increase. A five-cent increase would allow $111.085 million in spending, versus $121.339 million with a 10-cent tax increase.
The district’s current tax rate is $1.0152 per $100 in property valuation.
All the facility improvements presented to committee members on Monday would add up to $215 million, which left committee members with some tough decisions.
Each of the eight small groups discussed what they saw as priorities to be presented in a bond package. All eight groups agreed a new middle school and security upgrades – such as more fencing – at the three elementaries are warranted.
Seven of the eight groups cited new buses as another top need, while six groups believed traffic flow at the high school needs to be addressed in a bond.
A few groups expressed support for construction of an auditorium and some type of multi-purpose facility.
Committee member Trampus Isom asked if it were possible to combine the two ideas into one facility.
“We feel like there is some way we can do a multi-purpose facility and an auditorium all together,” Isom said. “I don’t know what the price tag is, but it doesn’t seem like both of those are going to make it, but we would like both of those.”
Committee member Bill Brister, a former LISD Board of Trustees member, asked Kelly Trompler, the WRA Architects education planner, if it would be possible to make the new middle school cheaper to allow room for more improvements.
Trompler noted the price to build a new Lampasas Middle School does not include a new competition gym, as the Bozarth-Fowler Gym will remain a part of the campus.
“I feel like we have really given it a fine-tooth comb as to this is what it would be like living in it without short-changing the kiddos that are going to be in there,” Trompler said. “You want to do it right. It is going to be there 75 to 80 years, and you don’t want to get 10 years down the road and say, ‘Oh gosh, we need another bond because we didn’t do X, Y and Z.’ ” As committee members grappled with the fact that upgrades such as an auditorium and multipurpose facility might not make the cut for a bond, LHS Principal Paul Weinheimer wondered how often the district can call a bond election to stay competitive with its peers that have those types of facilities.
Superintendent Dr. Chane Rascoe said it all depends on growth in the school district.
“If we start growing a lot, we start getting more capacity, and then we will be going out for more,” Rascoe said. “But that pattern from years past has not been going out for a lot of bonds in Lampasas. So, I would try to go out for what we need the most.”
The Facilities Planning Committee will finalize a proposal at the committee’s next meeting, set for Nov. 17 at 5:30 p.m. in the LMS cafeteria.
“We will build about four to six scenarios with price tags and tax impacts for you all to look at the next meeting,” Trompler said. “Hopefully, at the conclusion of that meeting, you all will vote on one and be ready to make a recommendation to the board.”