As members of an advisory committee toured the Brownsboro Independent School District’s campuses, some were surprised to see the conditions of at least two of the schools, officials told the Statesman.

“The people were going, ‘I didn’t know,’ and ‘I didn’t realize,’” Parent Involvement Coordinator Perry Eaton said. “People’s eyes were opened.”

The advisory committee of more than 60 people, charged with finding the most ideal and cost-effective way for the district to expand, has met three times since Feb. 22 and is scheduled to meet at least seven more times over the next four months.

An election is being planned for November, when voters will decide whether to raise taxes to finance improvements of some campuses or build others.

“I think they’re going about it right to try to get the input of the voters,” Eaton said. “They’ve been really pleased about the meetings, and hopefully that will continue.”

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.

Committee members have toured each campus in Brownsboro and are scheduled to visit the two schools in Chandler during their next meeting on March 22. Texas School Planning President Dr. Arnold Oates said the committee appeared especially bothered by conditions at Brownsboro Elementary and Brownsboro Junior High.

“I think they were surprised at the junior high school as to how much the students had to go from so many different locations,” he said. “That was one of the biggest surprises. Also, I heard some comments about the corridors being dark. At the elementary school, they were surprised at the drainage and parking situations, the cafeteria, and the library, which is just a classroom, basically.”

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.

Committee members “feel strongly about how supportive the community is of the schools,” Oates said. “They feel they have good teachers and a good board, and they are proud of their schools.”

Oates said he will present five scenarios for expansion during the committee’s meeting on March 22 at Chandler Intermediate School.

He declined to release the details of that report before the meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m.

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.