Giddings ISD officials flag technology, buses, HVAC and roof as potential bond or budget priorities

Assistant Superintendent for Facilities Andy Masek outlined a multi‑year facilities and technology plan at the Feb. 19 board meeting, telling trustees the district faces rising replacement and licensing costs that could be candidates for a bond.

Masek said the district needs to replace network switches and access points (about 160 wireless access points district‑wide) and estimated the switch replacement at roughly $800,000 today but said he expects that figure could rise to about $1.2 million by next summer. He said recurring licensing and cybersecurity subscriptions total roughly $250,000 per year and that cybersecurity endpoint detection and response (EDR) licensing alone is about $72,000 annually.

He outlined other capital concerns: middle‑school HVAC units (about 29 years old), replacement of the turf on the football field (estimated $700,000–$800,000), replacement of aging buses (last year’s bus cost ~$160,000; a 10‑bus purchase could approach $1.7 million), and long‑range needs such as Giddings High School roof and large HVAC replacements that could total multiple millions.

Masek said some security equipment (breaching tools, armored shields, hallway safes) were purchased from security funds and that the district is pursuing grants where feasible. He recommended a bond or using fund balance to address larger projects and asked trustees to review a project list he will circulate.

Trustees asked questions about timing and funding options; Mr. Masek and Superintendent DeSpain said the district will coordinate bond and budget discussions in upcoming workshops.