Several North Texas school districts are seeking voter approval for bonds totaling more than $1 billion.
The largest package is Frisco ISD. The district is seeking $1.08 billion for campus renovations and new equipment. Frisco ISD has four different proposals.
The largest proposal, Proposition B, asks voters for $986 million to renovate 20 aging buildings, upgrade facilities, add new school buses and increase safety and security measures.
The district’s Proposition C would fund new computers and online infrastructure upgrades for $88 million.
Prop D calls for $11.2 million to build a new tennis center.
Proposition A is a Voter Approved Tax Rate Election (VATRE). It helped cover the cost of Frisco ISD’s $30 million budget deficit, and the district paid for a portion of teacher pay raises. If VATRE passes, the maintenance tax rate increase will be 2.94 cents per $100 of assessed property value, the district said. As a result, the average home in Frisco ISD would see its tax bill increase by $158 per year.
Frisco last issued a bond package in 2018.
Meanwhile, Allen ISD is seeking voter approval for a $447.44 million bond package.
Proposition A is the largest of the three proposals, at $419 million. David Hicks, the district’s chief public information officer, said the district will fund improvements to 30- and 40-year-old buildings, fund multipurpose facilities, add new buses, and, importantly, Said to improve overall internet and Wi-Fi.
“How are the students studying today?” Hicks asked. “How are teachers teaching today? Can we update some of these spaces to provide a better experience for teachers and students?”
Hicks also said Prop A will increase security so that “there are multiple points of entry before a visitor can actually access the main parts of the building.”
“In the safety and security world, we call these humans traps,” he said.
Hicks said some campuses have them, while others don’t.
Proposition B seeks $5.36 million to renovate the stadium.
Proposition C, for $23.08 million, would fund the purchase, replacement, and upgrade of technology, such as individual computers.
In East Dallas, the growing Sunnyvale ISD is asking voters to approve three bond proposals. The most expensive proposal, Proposition A, is $77 million and would pay for building upgrades and repairs, parking and traffic control, and safety and security items.
Superintendent Matt Kimball said Sunnyvale schools remain small — about 2,300 students last year, up from 1,400 a decade ago — and are growing at an average of 5 percent each year. He said he was there.
“We’re probably going to maintain an average growth rate of 4% to 6% for the next 10 years,” Kimball said.
Proposition B calls for $17 million to build a student activity center for use by all students. Proposition C, for $900,000, would fund storm repairs and reimbursement tracking.
Highland Park ISD is seeking voter approval for $137 million worth of bonds. This pays for new construction, land acquisition, renovations and building improvements, as well as school safety and security equipment. The district also plans to purchase new buses.
Birdville ISD is seeking approval for a $48 million bond for a multipurpose indoor practice field.
Several districts, including Grapevine-Colleyville, Coppell, Northwest and Celina, are asking voters to approve their own VATRE to cover deficits and ongoing expenses. School districts point to inflation and a so-called underfunding in the state education budget, which has remained unchanged since 2019.
Bill Zeeble is KERA’s education reporter. Any tips? Email your invoice to bzeeble@kera.org. You can follow him at X @bzeeble.
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