Granbury ISD to present facilities audit; administrators say no bond proposal now

Granbury Independent School District administrators told the community at their quarterly forum that the district will present a facilities audit at the next regular board meeting and that no bond proposal is currently planned. The superintendent and trustees used the forum to describe how the audit will feed long-range facility planning and prioritization.

“We are going to use the money that we have and communicate out to our families and community how we're using our budget money,” said Dr. Morawski, the district superintendent. She told the forum the audit will show campus priorities and estimated costs so the board can choose among needs and identify potential uses of fund balance if necessary.

At the forum, the superintendent highlighted two operational figures: current student enrollment of 7,899 and a reported increase of about 500 library book checkouts since the district’s cell phone ban was implemented. Trustees said the audit and advisory group work will clarify what repairs can be covered from maintenance and operations (M&O) funds and what would require bond financing.

Community members asked about buses, air-conditioning and where money would come from to pay for capital items. Trustee responses explained how state school finance works: property tax revenue is sent to the state, which allocates funding back to districts based on average daily attendance and program factors; some districts then return revenue to the state through recapture. The superintendent said teacher raises, fuel and other rising costs increase the district’s budget and limit discretionary spending.

A resident, Jim Brown, urged clearer communication about bus replacement cycles and HVAC work. “I truly haven't heard a whole lot about those,” Brown said. The superintendent replied the facilities audit will include a prioritized list for each campus, approximate costs and recommendations for how to use available funds. She added that large capital projects such as building expansions or closures typically require voter-approved bonds under Texas law.

Officials said they will work to improve public reporting on annual purchases (for example, the number of buses and HVAC units replaced each year) and to explain legally required limits on fund-balance use. No formal budget actions or bond proposals were taken or approved at the forum; the discussion was informational.