During the Aug. 9 board of trustees meeting, Dayna Hernandez, associate superintendent of communication and public relations, and Robert Robertson, associate superintendent of facilities and school services, gave a presentation updating the board and community members on the bond program's progress.
"Thanks to the overwhelming community support of the 2015 bond, and by extension, support of the work we do to properly care for and maintain 9.3 million square feet of learning and support space, we have been able to continue to build and maintain best-in-class, safe learning environments for our students and our community," Robertson said in a statement.
According to district officials, KISD has been a fast-growth school district for nearly two decades and is now the 16th largest public school district in Texas. As such, district officials said the 2015 bond was critical in funding projects to keep up with student population growth.
"The overwhelming support of the 2015 bond is just another example of the faithful support we enjoy from our wonderful Klein ISD community," Superintendent Jenny McGown said in a statement. "We are so grateful for this continued investment in our tradition of excellence that keeps Klein a place we are all proud to call our home."
Included in the 2015 bond program was the construction of three new schools including Klein Cain High School and Hofius Intermediate School, which opened in August 2017, and Fox Elementary, which opened in August 2020.
The bond also funded improvements at existing KISD campuses, including the addition of a gym and sixth-grade classroom at Wunderlich Intermediate School, a gym addition and exterior remediation at Hildebrandt Intermediate School, a career and technical education center addition at Klein Forest High School, auditorium and dance additions at Klein Oak High School, and the addition of a multifunction facility at Klein Collins High School, which Robertson said is under design.
In addition to facility maintenance projects, the bond also invested in safety and security upgrades, technology, fine arts and CTE programs districtwide. The bond also funded the purchase of 60 new school buses, including two activity buses.
"We are so pleased to see that every single Klein ISD campus benefited from the 2015 bond package," Hernandez said.
KISD officials said they were also able to fund projects not included in the original bond program while staying under budget. These projects included a complete overhaul of Lemm Elementary following damage from Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the installation of field turf at three high schools, improved lighting at softball fields, the replacement of door hardware across all elementary campuses, and library and cafeteria renovations at Northampton Elementary School. The district is also renovating the former KISD Teaching and Learning Center to become the district's new therapeutic education facility, which Robertson said is about 50% complete.
"Back in 2014 when we were doing the bond planning and we did our tax rate projections on what selling $498.1 million in bond funds would do ... the projection was calling for a $0.099 increase in the tax rate," Robertson said. "[Instead], we only went up about $0.02."
While district officials did not say if or when a future bond would be called, Robertson said as long as student growth continues, so will the district's needs.
"As we look to the future, we will need continued focus on the preservation and maintenance of our schools and support facilities," he said. "We have several schools that either are or will soon be over 50 years old and as such should be evaluated for the renovate/replace decision in support of the instructional programs and improved learning environments. As the district grows ... the need for new schools, renovated schools and support facilities will continue to exist and require the support of our board and the community at large."
