Building three campuses and increasing the number of students who attend its two intermediate schools are options worth considering as the Brownsboro Independent School District examines the possibility of setting a tax election next November to finance construction.

"A good possibility might be to address a new elementary school in Chandler and in Brownsboro," Texas School Planning President Dr. Arnold Oates said. "At the intermediate schools, you could put some of the grades there and actually change your grade structure. The question is, which of these would be the best to serve the community’s needs."

Those are just a few among a number of possibilities the district is said to be reviewing. The challenge, officials say, is to decide where to start.

Brownsboro High School is half as old as Chandler Elementary School and Brownsboro Elementary School. But while the building is in good condition, its athletic facilities and instruction space for student-athletes are inadequate and outdated.

The elementary schools are 40 years old or older and have been expanded numerous times, and Brownsboro Junior High School students must attend classes across three properties.

All of the schools are at capacity, and two campuses have added portable buildings over the years to accomodate their students.

"It’s going to be very difficult to add on to them (again)," Oates said. "The elementary schools have some of the greatest needs. As far as building a new high school, the challenge would be where to locate it. Another major issue would be the availability of utilities to serve a building that big."

Texas School Planning was hired in October to consult the district on its capital improvements plan. District officials have reported the student population has increased by about 60 percent over the last 20 years - a rate of 3 percent annually.

Growth in Smith and Henderson Counties over the next 30 years is expected to be substantial, with the projected population in Henderson County by 2010 at more than 81,300.

By 2020, it is expected to be over 90,000 and, by 2030, the population is projected to reach 100,000

Much of that growth will happen west and south of Tyler and will include Chandler.

On Nov. 11, Oates told a group of about 70 community stakeholders he and district officials wanted to develop "a vision for 20 years and a plan for 10."

They responded during the informal meeting by saying they wanted to see the construction of a fine arts building, new football stadium, and possibly a middle school in Chandler.

They also suggested eventually moving Brownsboro High School to Chandler, and questioned transporation costs, expanded utilities, land availability in Brownsboro, and technological needs.

On Monday, Oates said it’s up to voters to ultimately decide how the district will be expanded and improved.

"I could look at it from an educational standpoint and say what would work, but I don’t know what the community would think," he said. "Most of the reaction I’ve gotten is very positive. The community has to decide which options are best."

Growth projections show points between west Tyler and Brownsboro will experience a boom in industry, retail, and the housing market, especially after the completion of the Loop 49 toll road.

That’s why it’s important to start planning for a bigger school district now, Oates said.

"An elementary-school design takes four to six months and construction 14-18 months. It would take 18 to 14 months on a middle school, and a high school would take 24-36 months. Meanwhile, they just have to keep doing what they’re doing and bring in more portable buildings. You’re looking at between two and three years before you’ll see major improvements."

Oates said the district owns a tract of land west of Brownsboro where an elementary school could be built.

While some voters may prefer a new high school between Chandler and Brownsboro, it might be difficult for the district to acquire enough land in that area for construction.

Another possibility, regardless of new construction, would be to increase the number of grades at some or all of the campuses, particularly at the intermediate schools.

At both elementary schools, students are in Pre- K through third grade. Students in grades 4 through 6 attend Brownsboro Intermediate School and Chandler Intermediate School, and seventh- and eighth-graders attend the junior high.

Students in grades 9 through 12 go to the high school.