BASTROP, Texas — Smaller cities surrounding Austin, like Bastrop, are booming and have been for the past several years.
"Ever since Tesla announced and they broke ground, it's like the focus was east. So we're seeing that growth,” said Ashley Mutschink, Bastrop ISD's board president.
Something that hasn’t changed in more than 10 years? Bastrop ISD’s schools.
“We’re trying to catch up,” Mutschink said.
2021 was the first time in 14 years that voters approved bond money for the district. That project included over $183 million to make improvements to older schools like Mina Elementary, as well as open several new elementary schools.
One of those schools, Colony Oaks Elementary, has only been open for about five months but is already at capacity and is still growing.
“We’ve had to add new teachers because our numbers have grown and our classrooms have gotten full,” said Kristi Kisamore, principal of Colony Oaks Elementary.
Kisamore said just in the last two days, the school had more than 25 students enroll. She believes supporting these new schools will be crucial for the community’s continued development.
"I just think it's really important that our community understands that we are growing, kids are coming, families are coming,” Kisamore said. “So if we want the best for our kids, this is really what we need to help support and get behind.”
The next phase of the bond project will update the older buildings at Mina Elementary and build two new elementary schools in addition to Colony Oaks and Camino Real Elementary, both of which opened this fall.
Bastrop ISD expects to start renovations on more buildings at Mina Elementary this summer and open the next two new schools within the next two years.
Boomtown is KVUE's series covering the explosive growth in Central Texas. For more Boomtown stories, head to KVUE.com/Boomtown.