Royal ISD held its second Community Advisory Committee meeting on Wednesday, April 28 at Royal Junior High. Superintendent Rick Kershner stated, “We had a great community advisory committee meeting last night. We continued to ask the community to engage with us about their wants, desires, hopes, and dreams for our students. We examined our financial situation and toured the junior high to examine possible ways to improve aging infrastructure.”
The meeting included a welcome from Superintendent Rick Kershner as well as presentations by RISD Financial Advisor Lucas Janda, RJH Principal Orlando Vargas, Facilities Director Derrick Dabney, and Steve Risser from Gallagher Construction Services. Attendees also toured the RJH campus to review the current state of the facility and received updates regarding growth within Royal ISD.
Financial Advisor Lucas Janda provided a very transparent and insightful presentation regarding existing debt (and how it is being paid off more quickly than expected) and the size of a potential bond election without a tax rate increase. He elaborated on how taxes work for various audiences (single-family homestead, business owners, ag-exempt property, and the 65 and over population). Several in attendance were able to get clear responses to their questions.
Royal ISD is appreciative of the time and input from the committee participants. We are excited to continue with the strategic planning and district belief statements as Royal continues “investing in our tomorrow”. The ultimate goal of the committee is to provide a recommendation to the Royal School Board on the facility repairs and construction needed for current and future Falcon students.
If you live within Royal ISD and would like to attend future meetings, please send an email to Christi Ginn at cginn@royal-isd.net. Please include your name and phone number with your request. (A request is required due to COVID restrictions and to ensure that all committee members receive communications regarding the meetings. All attendees should wear masks at each meeting.)
