Upcoming School Bond Elections are Worth More than All of East Texas
May 7 could be a big day for many East Texas school districts as a combined 14 bond proposals will be voted on. These bonds are earmarked for items such as buying new school buses, putting new turf on a football field, new campuses and other school items. School bonds are necessary to improve our kid's education but they can also be a very contentious subject among citizens. Let's look at the different bond elections and what the money will be used for.
Longview ISD
- $229.98 million total
- $178.185 million - new early learning center, improvements to Career Technical Education, high school renovations, new property
- $40.795 million - new combined facility for the band and football, baseball and soccer teams
- $8.565 million - Lobo Stadium improvements and repairs
- $2.44 million - Lobo Swim Center improvements and repairs
Chapel Hill ISD
- $125.24 million total
- $113.06 million - new junior high, new Wise Elementary classrooms, office renovations, building a new transportation and operation facility
Bullard ISD
- $103 million total
- $82 million - new school property and buildings
- $21 million - new tennis courts, baseball/softball fields, new multipurpose facility
Mabank ISD
- $94 million - new buildings for the various campuses and improvements to existing campuses
Sulphur Springs ISD
- $93 million - new Travis Elementary campus, renovations to Bowie, Bush and Sulphur Springs Elementary, new high school career and technology center, new fine arts center, updates to roofing and air conditioning for all buildings, buying 20 new buses
Tyler ISD
- $89 million - new Hubbard Middle School, new early college high school
Mount Vernon ISD
- $52.3 Million total
- $39.5 million - new buildings, renovations, buying new school buses
- $12.8 million - athletic facility improvements
Pleasant Grove ISD
- $39.9 million - new high school cafeteria, performing arts center additions, new field house, new baseball/softball facilities, adding middle school classrooms, middle school library updates
Mineola ISD
- $29.855 million - new elementary school campus, new career and technology center
New Diana ISD
- $23.76 million total
- $23.21 million - high school improvements
- $550,000 - new tennis courts, new softball field press box
Brownsboro ISD
- $20.55 million - campus improvements, new high school auditorium, new additions and renovations, expanding junior high cafeteria
Beckville ISD
- $17 million - new gym, new band hall, new career and technology center
Alba Golden ISD
- $16 million - new district buildings, renovation of existing district buildings, new equipment, buying school buses
Cross Roads ISD
- $7 million total
- $6 million - new baseball/softball complexes, concession improvements, playground improvements, band hall improvements, resurface track
- $1 million - new football field turf, new lighting
Time to put those Lindale math skills to good use. In total, East Texas residents will be voting on a combined total of $933,585,000 in school bond funds, almost $1 billion. Is East Texas as a whole even worth that much as a whole? These various cities have some big decisions to make over the next couple of weeks. Early voting has started with election day is May 7. Get out and vote.