WISD’s Director of Communications Jamie Fails said trustees were disappointed with voter turnout in May.
“The school board is really the one who requested that we hold some bond planning meetings ... and discuss the concept of basically a bond continuation,” Fails said. “Just ... putting those back in front of the voters during the presidential election knowing that we’re going to have a larger voter turnout and that that might give us a clearer picture of where the community stands on the issue.”
Fails said she believes the district’s 50-year-old stadium doesn’t have enough capacity for the demand, and has limited parking and concessions. As for the need for the aquatic center, Fails said WISD’s swim team uses a pool in Conroe, which limits its growth.
Regarding the student activity center, Fails said she believes it could give athletic and extracurricular teams a place to practice while also hosting events such as art shows.
“We’re growing about as fast as any district in the state of Texas and ... we feel that ... it was our responsibility to put it out there to the voters with the recommendation of the long-term planning committee,” WISD board President Kyle Hoegemeyer said.
- “I do not believe another bond should be able to be voted on, since we, the community, had just voted all of them down. These bonds shouldn’t be able to be reintroduced within the same year.” —Heather Weatherly, WISD resident
- “Timing-wise, [trustees] feel like getting those items done now—passed now, get the funds going and get those items built—allows us to focus on the educational facilities over the next 10 years and even beyond, and not have to try to worry about squeezing those things in somewhere.” —Jamie Fails, WISD director of communications
- “We see these things becoming necessities for us. And at the end of the day, these are going to provide opportunities for a lot of students, and I think [they’ll] be something that the community of Willis will have great pride in.” —Kyle Hoegemeyer, WISD board president
If the propositions passed, the tax impact on residents would be no more than one cent, Fails said. The district’s tax rate for fiscal year 2024-25 is $1.0349 per $100 valuation.
“Our growth is going up quick enough that it helps offset that need for a tax increase,” Fails said.
In 2021, WISD’s median home value was $206,500, per its January 2024 demographic study. Based on that home value, the impact of a $0.01 tax rate increase is $0.89 monthly or $10.65 yearly, according to the district's tax impact calculator.
Heather Weatherly, a WISD resident since 2020, said that in May, she was opposed to all the propositions except the ninth-grade center.
“The bonds are a waste of taxpayer money,” Weatherly said. “The security and safety of our children should take precedence over anything else. While other schools are enhancing their security protocols, Willis [ISD’s] board is more interested in pushing bonds the community has already said ‘No’ to.”
One more thing
Fails said one of the biggest factors in running the propositions again is looking at the district’s plan for what needs to happen over the next 10-15 years regarding its growth projections.
By 2026, the district will have built and opened new middle and elementary schools and be potentially looking at another bond for an additional elementary school, according to its website.
“There’s not going to be a lot of time or bonding capacity left in [the next five to six years] to get these facilities, that once we have a second high school, we’ll definitely be required to have,” Fails said.
