The approved $512 million bond package is a reduction from the $580 million bond recommendation that the Bond and Growth Planning Committee proposed to the board Jan. 16. The committee consisted of parents, students, campus administrators, volunteers and city government officials.
The details
After hearing the proposal, the board met at a Jan. 23 workshop to discuss any amendments ahead of the bond’s approval consideration where they made adjustments to specific projects. Construction of a seventh elementary school was removed from the bond package as a means to save money given that the district’s growth will not warrant the new school until after the 10-year strategic growth plan has expired, trustee Ritchie Deffenbaugh said.
Additionally, projects to increase capacity at the US 377 middle school campus were added to pair with the goals of the 10-year plan, according to a district news release.
The bond election, if approved, will maintain the current tax rate. During the planning process for the 2024 bond, the committee focused on selecting projects that aligned with the district’s 10-year plan compared to previous bonds that focused on short-term projects, bond committee member Rich McDowell said during the Jan. 16 presentation.
The bond package addresses instructional space needs for enrollment growth at the elementary, middle school and high school levels, district technology updates, and the addition of a baseball and softball complex at Argyle High School considering the district’s future shift to two 9-12 high schools. During this shift, the US 377 middle school campus will be repurposed into the second high school, according to district documents.
Zooming in
Projects outlined in the bond that address this growth include constructing a new middle school and a sixth elementary school. Additionally, the bond calls for a renovation to Argyle High School at Canyon Falls Drive adding a third academic wing and a connector to allow for improved foot traffic circulation, McDowell said. It also outlined renovations at the existing middle school, which would expand the cafeteria into the second gym space and rebuild its competition and auxiliary gyms as a result of losing that space.
The bond allocates about $38 million for capital improvements at Hilltop Elementary, The Sixth Grade Center and Argyle Middle School, as well as $75 million for land acquisition, buses and maintenance, and $13.5 million for technology, according to district documents.
The approved bond proposal will be presented to voters in three propositions.
- Proposition A includes Middle School No. 2, Elementary School No. 6 and increased capacity at Argyle High School in Canyon Falls and Argyle Middle School on US 377. This $482.4 million proposition also includes capital improvements throughout the district. The proposed middle school would serve grades 6-8 with a capacity of 1,200. The elementary school would serve prekindergarten-fifth grade with an 850-student capacity.
- Proposition B includes the addition of a baseball and softball complex at Argyle High School in Canyon Falls. This was included by the bond committee to align with the district’s future of operating two 9-12 high schools. Currently, the high school plays varsity and subvarsity games at the facilities at Argyle Middle School. The middle school served as the district’s first high school until the Canyon Falls campus opened in 2021. The proposition is set at $22.6 million.
- Proposition C, set at $6.5 million, includes a technology refresh to sustain a 1-to-1 student-device ratio program for grades 6-12 and addresses growth with the future opening of Jane Ruestmann Elementary in 2024 and the second middle school in 2025.
Early voting for the May 4 election begins April 22 and closes April 30. The last day to register to vote is April 4. School officials will provide informational presentations throughout the community during the spring leading to the election, according to the news release.
The new bond is the largest in the district's history, board President Sam Slaton said. The district’s last bond election was in 2022 when voters approved a nearly $268 million bond package.
“What we have to remember is that the tax rate isn’t going up,” Slaton said. “Conversely if we don’t need [a project] we aren’t going to sell the bonds to build it, and there is no penalty to anyone on that.”
