Members of an advisory committee charged with finding the most ideal and cost-effective way for the Brownsboro Independent School District to expand are scheduled to tour its schools Saturday as offi- cials continue their work toward a tax election in November, Texas School Planning President Dr. Arnold Oates said.

“For our first meeting, we had a great turnout from all over the district. There seems to be a lot of interest in what the district is doing. We hope to reach a consensus on what we will do first and then what we can do from there.”

About 100 attended the committee’s first meeting on Feb. 15, Oates said, during which district demographics and a campus-bycampus evulation summary were introduced.

“It was just an orientation. We went through and explained the planning process and evaluating the schools. I explained that we will break into small groups and give them a chance to talk a lot. Each small group will report back to the committee as a whole.”

More than 60 committee members will gather in groups of eight to 10, and each group will include district officials.

“We will have them discuss their expectations and share that in the large group. We’ll meet again on March 5 and, on March 19, we will introduce the planning scenarios and start talking about them.”

The oldest of the district’s six campuses — Brownsboro Elementary School, Chandler Elementary School, Brownsboro High School, and Brownsboro Junior High School — need extensive renovations or expansions. The elementary schools, though, are in the worst condition of the four and expanding them again does not appear to be feasible.

Chandler Elementary was built in 1969 and expanded five times between 1977 and 1995. Brownsboro Elementary was built in 1968, and it was expanded four times between 1972 and 1995.

While the Chandler campus could expand again if it removes its playground area, Brownsboro Elementary cannot even do that. The school is situated between the district administration building and other facilities to the east, Brownsboro Junior High to the south, and Brownsboro High School to the west.

Brownsboro High School is the youngest campus of the group. Built in 1987, it has been expanded just once and appears to be in the best condition. Brownsboro Junior High was built in 1981 and has never been expanded.

All four schools are at capacity.

At Chandler Elementary, limited parking areas for buses and other vehicles is always a concern, with traffi c usually stalling on Farmto Market Road 315 during drop-off and pick-up times. Like the other schools, it has run out of classroom space and its cafeteria is too small. Multiple access points to the building also pose safety risks.

At Brownsboro Elementary, the campus has simply outgrown itself. It has no room to expand a fifth time, and district and school offi- cials have acknowledged a new campus is needed.

Students at Brownsboro Junior High have their own issues. They must cross Ingram Street to attend classes at buildings that share the same property with the district administration building, and band students have to cross a field and a loading and unloading zone to reach the band hall at Brownsboro High.

At the high school, its athletic facilities and instruction space for studentathletes are inadequate and outdated.

A number of options would be available to the district, including building two new elementary schools and a high school, and increasing the number of students who attend its two intermediate schools.

The district owns a 52- acre tract of land west of Brownsboro where a campus 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.

Texas School Planning was hired last 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.

A tax election is expected to be set in November to fi- nance improvements.

Advisory committee members are scheduled to meet at Brownsboro High at 8 a.m. Saturday.