Featured Illustration (above): Arlington ISD’s bond proposes projects such as renovations at Gunn Junior High School’s Fine Arts and Dual Language Academy. Image: Arlington ISD
Posted: 10-23-19
By Edmond Ortiz
Voters across Texas are heading to the polls for early voting to consider proposed bond packages totaling more than $9.18 billion from 84 cities, counties and school and college districts.
The great majority of referendums are being held by school districts. Early voting for the Nov. 5 bond elections will continue through Nov. 1. VBX offers a closer look at some of larger bond proposals:
NORTH TEXAS
Arlington Independent School District, the 13th biggest school district in the state, is floating the biggest bond package in Texas this fall election at $966 million total.
In this single-proposition bond, the school district proposes dedicating $852.7 million toward renovations and the expansion of classroom areas, athletic complexes and other facilities at all campuses.
Berry, Thornton and Webb elementary schools and Carter Junior High School all will be demolished and rebuilt. The new Carter campus will be established at the existing Knox Elementary School site. The district plans to close Knox and Roark Elementary School. The four campuses to be razed and reconstructed are more than 60 years old.
Additionally, the elementary schools will be outfitted to accommodate full-day pre-kindergarten programs. New shaded playgrounds also are proposed for all elementary schools. Fine arts and career and technology spaces, too, will be modernized and expanded districtwide.
Each high school will be provided a competition softball field, and Martin High School will be provided a third competition athletic field. Additionally, Wilemon Stadium at Sam Houston High School and Cravens Stadium at Lamar High School each will receive improvements to their locker rooms, bathrooms, concessions, bleachers, turf and track surfaces.
The bond also sets aside funds for upgrades for all junior high school fields through additional restrooms, and enhancements to concessions, ticket booth and storage space.
Arlington ISD also proposes: renovations for the fine arts/dual language academies at Gunn Junior High School and Arlington High School; additional classrooms and lab space at Dan Diepert Career and Technical Center.
The school district is proposing to use the existing debt service tax rate to fund an approved bond.
Arlington ISD’s previous bond issue, a $663.1 million package, was approved by voters in 2014. The final construction projects funded by the 2014 bond include a new fine arts center and a new athletics complex; both are on track to be completed by the fall of 2020.
Tarrant County College District (TCCD) is floating by far its biggest bond package in its history at $825 million. The college district last proposed a $70 million package in 1993. The district has since expanded to six campuses serving more than 100,000 students yearly.
TCCD wants to use the new single-proposition bond to fund new construction, renovations and expansions at all six campus sites.
The bond will dedicate $308 million toward the 43-year-old Northwest campus, where the district would develop brand new learning commons, classrooms, a registration counseling center, early college high school, campus front entry, student union, physical education fields and courts, campus mall, faculty and staff workspace.
The Northwest campus would see improved outdoor student learning and study space, outdoor classroom and event space, renovated classrooms in one existing building, renovated labs in another structure, an expanded south parking lot, and new parking lots for visitors and for disabled students, employees and guests.
To the tune of $125 million, the Southeast campus would see renovations and expansions to improve student flow in hallways during peak times, and to add flexibility to instructional spaces and classrooms. Parking space would be improved, too.
TCCD’s bond would also allocate money for infrastructure upgrades, such as drainage, and smaller-scale learning and work spaces for students and employees at all campuses.
East of Dallas, Forney Independent School District projects reaching a total student enrollment of 20,000 by 2030 with the addition of more than 8,500 students over the next decade. It is floating a $623 million, single-proposition referendum to address future growth.
Forney ISD proposes $294 total million to build two elementary schools, an intermediate school and an early childhood center to accommodate pre-kindergarten full-day programs, and to fund a rebuilt and relocated Johnson Elementary School, as well as improvements to existing elementary and intermediate campuses.
Another $307 million is meant for a new middle school, a new college and career center, and for improvements to existing middle and high schools. The remaining monies are designated for repurposing the existing Johnson Elementary campus, districtwide upgrades and a contingency fund. Forney ISD plans to use revenue from rising property appraisals, on the current tax rate, to fund approved bond construction.
EAST TEXAS
Conroe Independent School District’s $676.7 million double-proposition bond would allocate $653.5 million on five new schools, major classroom and program additions and upgrades at nine existing campuses, and renovations at all campuses.
Specifically, Conroe ISD proposes construction of four new elementary campuses: two to feed Caney Creek High School at a cost of $35 million and $39.4 million, respectively; one to feed Grand Oaks High School at a cost of $39.4 million; and one to feed Conroe High School for $37.1 million. A new junior high school with an estimated cost of $80.6 million would also prep students for Caney Creek High.
The classroom and program additions and upgrades would affect The Woodlands, Caney Creek, Conroe, Oak Ridge and The Woodlands College Park high schools, York Junior High School, and Runyan, Wilkerson and Collins elementary schools.
Significant campus renovations would take place at Conroe High School ($144.2 million) and Oak Ridge High School ($44.6 million). A second proposition would dedicate $23.8 million for athletic field turf improvements districtwide.
Voters in the City of Sugar Land are considering a four-proposition, $90 million bond: $47.6 million for drainage improvements, $26.3 million for public safety; $10.2 million for road upgrades; and $6.6 million for a new 17,000-square-foot animal shelter and control facility.
The drainage fixes would include enhanced flood control at the Oyster Creek Dam, as well as riverbend stormwater inlet and pipe replacement.
The public safety bond includes a new 17,000-square-foot emergency operations center/public safety dispatch building, rehabilitation of the existing public safety and public services structure, and Phase II development of the public safety training complex.
The road bond would cover such projects as reconstruction of Country Club Boulevard, widening of University Boulevard, and rehabilitation of Audubon Court, Abbott Circle, Park One Drive and West Airport Boulevard.
WEST TEXAS
Midland Independent School District’s $569 million, single-proposition package would address capacity, safety and security needs at the secondary level.
The district wants to relocated and construct two of its high schools–Midland and Lee, each at a cost of $171 million. Another $98 million is being proposed for a new third high school that would be built at the current site of Lee High.
The district would use $65 million to relocate San Jacinto Junior High School to the existing Midland High campus, and establish a new specialized academy for sixth-to-12th-graders at the same site.
Midland ISD also proposes $5 million relocate its Young Women’s Leadership Academy to the current San Jacinto Junior campus. The remaining bonds, $59 million, would be used to convert Abell, Alamo and Goddard junior high schools and the existing Midland Freshman and Lee Freshman campuses into middle schools for sixth-to-eighth-graders.
The school district plans a debt service property tax rate of $.0959 per $100 valuation, but district officials say because of the state-mandated reduction in the daily operational tax rate, the final impact to district taxpayers will be minimal.
The City of El Paso has the biggest bond proposal among the nine cities having a bond election Nov. 5, proposing a $413.1 million, single-proposition referendum to improve its fire and police operations.
The bond package would designate $38.6 million for a new East Side regional command center, $19.9 million for a new public safety training academy, $90.6 million for a new police headquarters, $24.6 million for a central regional command center, and $44.8 million to renovate four existing regional command centers.
The city would sell the current police headquarters property, and the current central regional command facility would be retrofitted to house the downtown-based metro unit.
For the fire department, the city proposes $38.6 million to build three new fire stations, including one at the city hall complex; $29.6 million for a new fire department headquarters; and $74.4 million on renovations to existing fire stations.
The city also plans to spend $29.6 million to outfit the proposed public safety training facility, co-located at police headquarters, for fire department personnel.
CENTRAL TEXAS
Williamson County voters face a double-proposition bond at the polls. One proposal is for $412 million in road and drainage improvement projects and street safety upgrades, such as widening of FM 1431 (Whitestone Boulevard in Cedar Park) and County Road 112, extensions to Southeast Inner Loop and Southwest Bypass, and flooding mitigation along Forest North Roadway.
The second proposal for $35 million covers hike and bike trail improvements, including: bathroom and pavilion upgrades at River Ranch County Park, Southwest Williamson County Regional Park, and Berry Springs Park and Preserve, additional parking at Champion Park, and restrooms with showers at the Williamson County Expo Center’s RV park.
The county plans to fund approved bond projects using revenue from increasing property appraisals.
SOUTH TEXAS
Comfort Independent School District’s $37.7 million single-proposition package is its largest to date. The money would fund classroom additions, renovations and safety upgrades at the existing elementary school, middle school and high school.
The proposed improvements include: more secure entry points, foundation repairs and gym and administrative area renovations at Comfort Elementary; classroom additions, more secure entry, science addition, demolition of the library building and cottage, campuswide renovations and more parking at Comfort Middle; and agriculture classroom renovations, new building trades classroom, more parking, and new construction and upgrades in the athletic complex area of Comfort High.
Hill Country Village, a San Antonio suburb that rarely holds bond elections, is the lone South Texas city that is floating a bond Nov. 5. In one proposal, the city seeks to issue $8.5 million in street, sidewalk and drainage improvements citywide.
In a second proposition, the city wants to be able to repurpose a portion of 14 vacant acres of property it owns on West Bitters Road near West Avenue for economic development purposes.
edmond@virtualbx.com
