Tomball Facilities Committee Discusses School District Needs.

TOMBALL, TX -- Community leaders in Tomball are considering needs for the Tomball Independent School District that could result in a bond election in 2018.

About 50 area Tomball residents took part in the first two facility study meetings held earlier this month at the Tomball ISD Staff Development and Technology Center, to determine of the district should consider a bond to build new campuses on the southern end of the district, as well as other facility needs.

“This is a very important meeting because we need your voice. We need to know what you’d like to see moving forward as we continue to grow as a district,” said Tomball ISD Superintendent Martha Salazar-Zamora.

Since 2007, voters in Tomball ISD have approved two school bonds, totalling more than $300 million and resulting in the construction of eight new campuses, a new administration building, technology upgrades, renovations to at least two older existing campuses, security upgrades, additional buses and other district needs.

Tomball ISD hosted the first meeting on facility needs on April 6, followed by a second meeting April 20. The final meeting is scheduled for April 27.

(Want to get daily updates about news and other events going on in your area? Sign up for the free Houston Patch morning newsletter.)

Tomball ISD has just over 15,000 students enrolled in the district for the 2016-2017 school year, and with more growth projected the number of students could increase to 18,000 students before 2020.

Some campuses that have been opened less than two years are already seeing the arrival of portable classrooms to ease overcrowding.

The Tomball ISD board of trustees held several discussions last year about the anticipated growth and the indicated that a facility studies was needed.

“We are not the decision makers,” said Tomball Assistant City Manager Rob Hauck, who has been the facilitator of the steering and facility needs study. “The people we elected to sit on the board of trustees, will ultimately make the decision on how bond money will be spent. Our job is to be a voice of the citizenry.”

The facilities study committee will provide the information to the steering committee on May 4 who will present the information to the board of trustees in June, and then consider a bond for 2018.

“We are very tight at a couple of schools,” Tomball ISD Board President Kathy Handler said.

One of those is Tomball Memorial High School, which opened in 2012 and was built with 2007 bond money.
Handler said expanding Tomball Memorial was discussed by administrators with the board of trustees before the committee and was one of the reasons for the facilities study, she said.

“Those are things that...I think the community can see are necessary,” Handler said.

Image: Shutterstock