Approximately $367 million worth of district-wide improvements will be on the ballot May 6 as the Hays CISD board of trustees voted 6-1 to call a bond election Feb. 13. Trustee Esperanza Orosco was the dissenting vote.

The district’s previous bond in May 2022, totaling about $115.65 million focused on addressing growth and was packaged into one proposition; the upcoming bond will be split into four propositions and are as follows:

• Proposition A: Academics and growth ($208.81 million)
• Proposition B: Theater and fine arts, athletics and CTE ($102.86 million)
• Proposition C: Technology ($3.98 million)
• Proposition D: Outdoor multipurpose pavilions ($52.17 million)

The 2023 bond has been in the works for close to six months, and the Facilities & Bond Oversight Committee concluded the total would be around $423 million. At a Dec. 12 board of trustees meeting, the committee presented the bond proposal with upwards of 40 potential projects, some of which have been set aside for a future bond, according to agenda documents.

However, in a last-minute decision, the board opted to shift money around and reprioritize the projects to include a project that had been left out: a new weight room for Hays High School, bringing the bond total up to $367.82 million instead of $361 million.

"I am not in support of adding the weight room so late in the game," Orosco said. "I know we talked about it extensively. ... I'm pretty disappointed that this is coming back up."

It is unclear what the tax impact may be at this time as the price tag on the bond increased.

The deadline to register to vote is April 6. Early voting will run from April 24 through May 2.