Friendswood ISD residents can vote in November to approve up to $128 million in bonds after the March election was delayed due to COVID-19.
The board of trustees voted at a March 23 special meeting to postpone the 2020 bond election to Nov. 3. If approved by voters, the proposed bonds will provide funding for various facility and technology upgrades.
These improvements include a new 900-student campus on the West Ranch site owned by FISD, which will replace the existing Cline Elementary School; classroom additions to Westwood Elementary School, Windsong Intermediate School and Bales Intermediate School; and renovations to Friendswood High School to address career and technical education, fine arts and athletics needs.
Three of the district’s six campus buildings are nearing 50 years old, FISD board President Tony Hopkins said, making repairs and additions essential. Delaying the election meant construction and renovation timelines were also delayed; construction that would have started in January will now begin in the summer, which could affect back-to-school plans for 2021-22, Hopkins said.
“That basically delays everything by six months,” he said. “We’ll have to ... decide if we want to speed things up or slow things down.”
The additions at the high school will require land purchases, which would be executed through $1.9 million in bond funding, according to the district’s bond election website. Bond funds will also go toward districtwide maintenance and security and technology improvements. The bond will appear on the ballot as Proposition A for $127.28 million and Proposition B for $1 million.
In Proposition A, more than 75% of the funding would go toward two projects: Construction at the new elementary school is projected to cost nearly $45 million, and work on the high school would cost an additional $53.3 million. The $1 million set aside for technology in Proposition B would fund classroom instructional technology upgrades and fiber and access point upgrades, among other improvements.
The 2020 school bonds are a result of quality community input and careful weighing of options, according to the district bond website. The bond package was pulled together by a citizens advisory committee of 44 community leaders, parents, teachers, students and local business owners. The committee reviewed data from district administration and industry professionals, the district’s long-range master plan and strategic plan, future student growth projections and public input then put together the bond package, per the bond website.
The 2019-20 school year saw the largest jump in enrollment in FISD history, Hopkins said. The district expects an additional 160 to 180 students for 2020-21, and 76% of FISD students returned to in-person instruction in August. The south side of the district has seen a lot of residential growth as housing communities are built out, he added.
“When COVID[-19] passes, we’re going to be above capacity, and we’re going to have had a six-month delay,” Hopkins said. “When we’re back to normal education, those needs are going to be there.”
The proposed bond would increase homeowners’ property tax rate by $0.10 per $100 valuation, FISD officials said; prior to the pandemic-induced shutdown, the bond was projected to have an 18-cent impact, which has since been reduced. House Bill 3 mandated school tax rates be compressed, which means all homeowners have seen an overall reduction in their school tax rate, per the bond website.
If the bond does not pass, any renovations or improvements the district could afford would be funded through maintenance and operation funds.
Early voting runs Oct. 13-30. Oct. 5 is the last day to register to vote in the Nov. 3 general election.
