Superintendent Roosevelt Nivens acknowledged public hesitations about continued bond spending, but pointed to academic programming initiatives—including the upcoming Career and Technical Education center—and bond accountability as examples of the work fueling public confidence in the administration’s efforts to build what he calls an “elite school system.”
"For the community to actually vote for this and give us $1.95 billion ... shows the faith that they have in our school system," he said at the Dec. 12 Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce meeting.
The gist
Three of the four propositions that LCISD officials placed on the ballot this November were passed, although the Traylor Stadium repairs priced at $26.5 million was denied with only 46.7% for the proposition, Community Impact reported.
Previously, Nivens had said that the repairs on the district’s sole stadium were necessary due to its infrastructure that dates back to 1965.
Nivens attributed the rejection to the current economic climate, noting that voters were motivated by financial caution. He said he understands the fear of a rising tax rate, although the district proposed the bond after adopting a flat tax rate for the third year that has decreased by nearly 25 cents per $100 in taxable property value since 2017.
"People are voting with their pocketbooks," he said. “The fear of being taxed out of your home is a very real thing for many residents."
Moving forward
Nivens said that as long as the board determines that the stadium repairs are necessary on the following bond cycle, it's his “job to make sure it happens.”
In the future, he said district leadership plans to better communicate the stadium's role as a "multipurpose" venue—supporting Special Olympics to dance competitions—rather than just a sports field to secure future support for repairs.
In the meantime, the district plans to expand the stadium at Tomas High in Richmond to accommodate at least 4,500 seats, which Nivens previously described as a “safer,” though smaller, alternative to Traylor Stadium’s reduced 6,000-seat capacity.
