Godley ISD convened a Long Range Facility Planning Committee for its first session on October 4, 2023, at Godley High School.

The first meeting included introductions from a mix of parents, community members and district staff numbering over 50 in attendance.

Aubrey Moses, representing the Huckabee architectural firm, reviewed projects from the May 2021 bond. These include the new Pleasant View Elementary School, which opened in January, as well as new tennis courts and synthetic turf for the baseball and softball fields at GHS.  The high school's Phase 2 projects are progressing with The WILD, a four-story career and technical education center with over 40 classrooms and learning spaces, and the addition of a competition gymnasium.  Also in progress is the Phase 3 addition for a fine arts wing.  The bond also provided for new electronic marquees at both Legacy and R.B. Godley Elementary Schools, a drop-off canopy at Legacy and district-wide safety and security upgrades.

Moses also listed projects postponed from the 2021 bond initiative due to an inflationary economy leading to higher costs.  Construction materials escalated by 22% in 2021 and 15% in 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Escalation rates remain higher than anticipated when budgeted in 2020 but not to the extreme levels of 2021 and 2022.

Demographer Rocky Gardiner reviewed current demographics, economic and housing indicators and enrollment growth projections.  Higher interest rates have tempered the Dallas-Fort Worth housing market, but closings and new home prices remain steady. Current work on the Cresson relief route along U.S. Highway 377 as well as planned expansion of Farm to Market Road 1187 both will bring new residents to the school district.

Key takeaways from the updated analysis, which included a review of future residential activity in the district, were:

• District enrollment grew by more than 650 students between 2017 and 2022.

• The district has over 780 lots currently available to build on, with over 16,200 additional lots in the planning stages.

• Groundwork is currently underway on roughly 830 lots that will impact the district in the next 1-2 years.

• Under the moderate growth scenario, campuses could begin to experience crowding in the 2026-27 school year.

• The district is forecasted to enroll nearly 4,000 new students by 2028-29 and nearly 4,900 by 2032-33

• The high growth scenario could result in 5,138 new students by the 2028-29 year.

For the May 2023 bond initiative that did not pass, the long-range committee was to develop a recommendation for an additional 5,000 students and include postponed projects from the 2021 program. The 2023 proposal included three new elementary schools, expansion and renovation of the current middle school, a second middle school, a high school performing arts center and  several other additions, upgrades and infrastructure improvements.  Now, the committee has broad determination in making its recommendation while focusing on more immediate needs during the next few years.

The current group reflected on the unsuccessful May 2023 bond election.  The retrospective activity had the large committee break out to discuss reasons for the bond not passing and then brainstorming on what the district should stop, add, keep and continue.  The activity concluded with a report from each group on the best plan to move forward.

The advisory committee will hold several meetings over the fall and will develop recommendations for the school board to accommodate growth.  The group will consider needs for current campuses as well as future facility and infrastructure needs.