BELTON, Texas — Belton Independent School District (BISD) created a new committee to include community members and residents where they can voice their opinions on district concerns Monday night, according to a BISD press release.
The committee would review concerns such as enrollment growth, facility needs and desired student experiences in the school district. The end goal is to present prioritized project recommendations to Superintendent Matt Smith, according to BISD officials.
“We feel like now is the time to bring together our community members, show them our demographic projections, our facilities assessment findings and strategic plan and ask them — what next steps need to be taken in Belton ISD?," said Smith.
The committee will hold 50 stakeholders and will be begin hosting meetings in September.
BISD officials said they will recommend community members to join and interested BISD residents will be able to volunteer.
BISD officials say the committee will meet about eight times this fall beginning Sept. 15. Each meeting will be at a different campus location to provide the opportunity for committee members to tour several of the district’s facilities.
The board also adopted a $137,357,137 budget for the district’s 2021-2022 general fund and decreased the district's tax rate for the third year in a row, according to board officials.
The budget will accommodate adding a grade level at Lake Belton High School and for enrollment growth throughout the district.
“This is a budget that shows we are successfully addressing student needs and that we prioritize our budget to do that,” said Jennifer Land, the district’s chief financial officer. “These increased costs are similar to what we see with other fast-growth school districts throughout the state. We are going to continue to see these types of costs as families continue to choose Belton ISD for their child’s education.”