INSIDE DSISD

The application window for DSISD Advisory Committees is open until Friday, Sept. 2. Parents and community members who would like to serve on a committee are invited to visit dsisdtx.us/committees to learn more and apply. Applicants will be notified if they are selected for a committee by Friday, September 30. If you have questions about our committees or this process, please email dsisdcommunications@dsisdtx.us.

At a special meeting on August 18, the Dripping Springs ISD Board of Trustees voted 6-1 to call for a $481.1 million bond referendum.

Proposition A - $199,280,000 (Growth and Priority Maintenance)

Proposition B - $275,350,000 (High School #2)

Proposition C - $6,505,000 (Technology Lifecycle Replacements)

A detailed list of the bond package can be found here.

Approval of the bond is not expected to result in a change to the current tax rate, which is $1.3103 ($0.9603 - Maintenance & Operations/$0.35-Interest & Sinking) per $100 of certified property value. Actual property tax bills are a product of the tax rate and the appraised property value. Increases in property value will increase a homeowner’s tax bill. By law, homeowners 65 years and older who have taken certain steps to apply for an exemption would not see an increase in their total school taxes above the amount at which their taxes were frozen (unless new improvements were constructed).

The bond proposal is the result of a thorough planning process conducted by the district that involved community members, parents, campus, and district staff. Beginning in 2019, the district’s Long-Range Facility Planning Committee (LRFPC) evaluated the current state of district facilities, reviewed school capacity and program models, and examined demographic data. Following the LRFPC process, a Citizens’ Bond Steering Committee (CBSC) was convened in May 2022 to take the recommendations of the LRFPC and consider bond project options and associated costs. The CBSC presented its recommendation to the Board of Trustees in July 2022.

Residents must be registered to vote in order to be eligible to vote in this bond election. The deadline to register to vote in the November general election is October 11, 2022. The first day of early voting in person is Monday, October 24. The last day to apply for a ballot by mail (received in the elections office, not postmarked) is October 28. The last day of early voting in person is November 4. Election day is Tuesday, November 8.

Three students represented Dripping Springs ISD over the summer at the 2022 Lone Star Leadership Academy camp hosted by the non-profit organization Education in Action. Students were nominated by educators to participate based on demonstrated leadership ability, academic success, and involvement in school/community activities.

Dripping Springs High School junior Natalee Scholl and sophomore Ryder Trent were attendees at the Austin/San Antonio camp while Dripping Springs Middle School seventh-grader Jackson Moore attended the Houston/Galveston camp.

During the weeklong, overnight camps, these distinguished students developed leadership skills while learning about the great state of Texas. Participants experienced what they are learning in school through visits to notable and historically significant Texas sites. In addition, professionals at these sites introduced students to a wide variety of unique careers during each camp.

The Lone Star Leadership Academy experience provides a unique opportunity for outstanding students to learn about Texas leaders and what it means to be from the Lone Star State. Participants discuss what they learn, complete problem-solving and decision-making simulations, exercise creativity, and practice presentation skills in Leadership Groups. In addition, participants have fun meeting other outstanding students and making new friends while adding to their resume of academic achievements, developing leadership skills, and bringing home a wealth of information to supplement what they are learning in school.