Godley ISD convened a Facility Planning Committee for its first session on July 15, 2025, at Godley Middle School.

The first meeting included introductions from a mix of parents, community members, teachers and district staff.  Superintendent Dr. Rich Dear and Assistant Superintendent Jason Karnes reviewed district highlights as well as mission, vision and values statements.  Karnes also presented a summary of the Community-Based Accountability System.

Demographer Paul Cash with Zonda Education reviewed current demographics, economic and housing indicators and enrollment growth projections.  Key takeaways from the updated analysis, which included a review of future residential activity in the district, were:

• New home sales in Godley ISD accounted for 59% of total district home sales in 2024, a decrease of 5% from 2023
• The district has 29 actively building subdivisions with over 1,600 lots available to build on 
• GISD has 19 future subdivisions with over 16,400 lots in the planning stages
• Groundwork is underway on nearly 700 lots within 6 subdivisions
• Godley ISD is forecasted to enroll more than 4,100 students by 2029-30 and more than 5,300 by 2034-35

Chief Financial Officer Spencer Davis discussed how the student enrollment growth is impacting capacity at current campuses in the school district with several graphics detailing how many students these buildings can accommodate.

The group reviewed the need for the committee, which will develop a recommendation to present to the school board based on the following “whys”:

• expecting 1,000 new students in the next five years
• overcapacity on four of five campuses in the next five years
• address growth by expanding capacity for students and growth

One part of the program reviewed generational changes, the technology available and used by those individuals, as well as the types of jobs that will be needed when younger generations enter the workforce.

At the end of the meeting, small groups discussed “needs and wants” for schools, including new facilities, renovations, technology, safety and security, and academic and extracurricular programs.

The advisory committee will hold additional meetings and will develop recommendations for the school board.  The group will consider needs for current campuses as well as future facility and infrastructure needs.

Information, including meeting presentations and videos, are available at www.godleyisdfpc.com.