District moves to issue bonds to fund construction

The San Marcos CISD will be issuing the second tranche of bonds from its 2017 bond election after the board of trustees gave the go-ahead for the bond sale.

At its meeting Monday, the board heard a presentation from SMCISD’s financial adviser, Robert Tijerina, on the issuance of the $57.3 million in bonds, which will be used to fund campus construction and equipment projects.

The board also held a brief discussion on forming a committee to receive suggestions for renaming district facilities. Trustee Miguel Arredondo put the item on the board’s agenda, he said, to start a discussion about giving some campuses new names.

“Maybe those namesakes are not historically appropriate now, given changes in ideology and philosophy,” he said.  

Trustee Kathy Hansen countered, saying it is the board’s job to see if the community, campus, students, teachers and staff want a new name for a campus. Such a committee would only receive nominations and make recommendations.

“I think we’re kind of putting the cart before the horse by establishing a committee,” she said.

The motion to create a naming committee was tabled indefinitely.

In other business the SMCISD trustees heard an update on the district’s ongoing construction projects. Coleman Uresti from Perkins and Will said that workers are making a lot of progress but rain has caused some problems with work at the new transportation center. The update included a presentation on the schematic design for Miller Middle School, which the board later approved.

The board also heard an informational item about a proposed security fence around San Marcos High School. Jay Wesson, director of facilities for the district, said that SMCID is looking at ways to make students more secure. The fence, which would have two electric sliding gates and one swinging gate, is a potential safety measure.

“It would keep our students enclosed in the campus,” Wesson said.

The price for the fence would be about $55,000. If plans to install the fence move forward, the board will approve funding for it at a later date.