Marble Falls ISD Prop C addresses space for band, cheer and Starlettes

CAPTION: The Marble Falls High School auxiliary or PE gym. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

EDITOR’S NOTE: A $172.2 million bond package is being presented to Marble Falls Independent School District voters that has four propositions. One is the construction of an indoor practice facility on the existing Scearce Baseball Field. That facility will give options when it comes to extreme heat and cold. Early voting began April 22 and May 3 is the last day to vote. 

The possibilities of constructing a new Marble Falls High School band hall and renovating the existing band hall for use by the Starlettes and cheer squad means having dedicated homes for each program.

Those possibilities are in the new bond package the Marble Falls Independent School District Board of Trustees approved in January. The bond has four propositions on the May 3 ballot. Two of them are related to extracurricular activities.

If voters say yes, the current auxiliary gym would be renovated to become the new band hall.

“The Band Hall program will be based on typical spaces and sizes that you would find in a (Class) 5A high school,” said Dr. Jeff Gasaway, Marble Falls ISD superintendent. “This includes the band hall, band hall storage, instrument storage, percussion room, practice rooms, uniform storage, ensemble room, staff offices, music library, and band hall locker rooms with restrooms for boys and girls. The arrangement, sizes and exact spaces will be developed with the campus and end users to ensure that it meets the program’s needs now and as the campus grows.”

When Marble Falls High School opened its doors in January 1988, the campus only had two gyms. The competition gym, now called the Mustang Gym, is still used for practices and tournaments, particularly since both basketball programs host those events in November and December.

In addition to the gyms, each side had a varsity and subvarsity locker room with showers that led to the auxiliary gym, now called the PE gym. Coaches offices for those who coached boys and those who coached girls were located in the Mustang Gym.

One proposed package is to turn the PE gym into the new band hall and “a portion of the existing coaches offices and locker rooms will be renovated for band,” Gasaway said.

As for the new band hall itself, the superintendent noted it would turn into a space that fits the needs of that program.

“There will be new wall paint, wall and ceiling acoustical treatments, replaced flooring and ceiling, new LED light fixtures, new instrument storage systems, (and) trophy display shelves,” he said. “Existing bleachers will be removed and existing band chairs and furniture replaced.”

The band advanced to the Class 4A state marching competition for the first time in 2024 and finished 21st out of 27 bands at The Alamodome in San Antonio. That finish placed the band in the top 10 percent of all Class 4A bands in the state.

If the band has a new home, what will happen to its present home?

It, too, will get a makeover and become the new home of the Starlettes and cheer squads.

It will have a locker room for each.

“The existing band hall building currently has a large shared office centrally located in the building that a few teachers share,” Gasaway said. “Within that space is an existing staff restroom. There are a few storage and practice spaces that could easily be converted to an office space without moving walls as well.”

And since the cheerleaders and Starlettes include tumbling, jumping and other dance moves in their routines, the flooring will have to be replaced.

“The existing floor is polished concrete,” the superintendent said. “The wood dance floor system or cushioned vinyl athletic flooring will be installed on the existing concrete floor in the dance room. Movable floor mats and mat storage area could be included in the project if required by the dance program.”

Currently 16 Starlettes are on the squad, while cheer has 29 and the band has 128 musicians.

“Having a dedicated space for both dance and cheer will help with knowing we have a space big enough to practice and not have to share a gym with all the other sports that need a gym throughout the year,” Starlettes Director Cristi Gilpin said. “It will also give both programs a space for storage, offices and locker rooms for the girls.” 

The Marble Falls ISD Community Advisory Committee made recommendations for a bond package to the school board and presented its report in December. During a special meeting Jan. 27, Gasaway summed up what was in the report with some changes as he presented it to the board of trustees.

He also explained how bonds are paid. The State of Texas allows school districts to pay for bonds through the Interest and Sinking (INS) tax rate. But there would not be an increase to Marble Falls ISD households and would remain at the current rate of 21.53 cents, Gasaway said.

CAPTION: The Marble Falls High School band hall. Photo by Jennifer Fierro