New stadium and prekindergarten campus, security upgrades among ballot propositions
San Marcos CISD voters will go to the polls May 11 to decide whether to issue $77 million in bonds to fund construction of a new stadium and numerous other projects throughout the district.
Nearly $24.8 million of the bond money would go toward renovations and additions to five elementary and middle school campuses, providing for energy efficiency and handicap accessibility, according to information provided by San Marcos CISD. Other projects would target academic and athletic performance for students.
"It is a significant investment, but I think it is needed," said Paul Mayhew, a trustee for San Marcos CISD. "I think it is something to put out there and let the voters decide. The voters need to be able to tell us if they want that debt or not. If we can explain why those programs are needed, I think they will respond."
If the election fails, Superintendent Mark Eads said the district will have no choice but to dip into its funds for maintenance and operations to make urgent repairs to its facilities, replacing roofs at two campuses and making improvements that bring the facilities into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"And when we do that, I'll be coming to you and saying, 'OK, here's the program we're going to cut that had a positive impact on academics. Here's the teaching positions we're going to have to cut because we don't have the resources to take care of those,'" Eads told trustees Feb. 18.
The election would also raise $12.7 million for a new prekindergarten campus that would serve 600 students. It would be constructed on the site of the old Bowie Elementary School campus on Hwy. 123.
Consolidation of the district's prekindergarten program into a single facility would free up space for growth at the elementary schools, said Eads, who added that an expanded prekindergarten facility would more than pay for itself through cost savings as students learn more skills to advance through subsequent grade levels.
"If you have success at the early ages, you don't have to invest the funds later to try to catch them up," Eads said. "We're playing catch-up for many, many years, and our feeling is that we need to start at earlier grade levels to get them on target."
Pair of propositions
Following Eads' recommendation, trustees voted unanimously Feb. 25 to call the bond election. They decided to divide the ballot into two propositions.
The first proposition, at about $58.6 million, would pay for the campus improvements, the new prekindergarten facility, and a new campus for the district's Phoenix and Disciplinary Alternative Education programs, as well as safety and security improvements and additions to the district's support services facility.
The first measure includes $13.6 million to build a new student activity complex and renovate the track and field, softball and baseball facilities. The complex would include an indoor field, gym area, weight rooms, locker rooms and other facilities.
The second proposition, at $18.4 million, would fund the construction of a new stadium. The San Marcos High School Rattlers play football games at Texas State University's Bobcat Stadium. Scheduling conflicts with the Bobcats require the Rattlers to play many of their home games on Thursday evenings, Eads said, forcing players to stay up late on school nights. The new stadium would seat about 8,000 people and give the Rattlers their "own home to defend," he said.
Some board members said they wished the first proposition had been broken into multiple options, allowing voters to identify which specific projects they support.
"I just feel like this whole thing would be better received if it wasn't so rushed," said trustee John Crowley, who added that he had "major reservations" about the election. "Some of [the projects] I can support and some of them I can't, but ultimately it will be up to the voters."
Combining multiple projects in one bond proposition gives the school district financial flexibility, Eads said. If one project is completed for less than the estimated cost, the leftover funds can be allocated to another project included in the proposition.
If voters approve both propositions, San Marcos CISD property taxes would increase by about $70 per year—or less than $6 per month—per $100,000 of property value, the district estimated. The propositions are based in part on a facilities assessment by the district's architects and were recommended by a citizens advisory committee.
"It's not a Cadillac version," said Mark Newton, a committee co-chairman. "It is needed for our students, it is needed for our community, but there is that reality of what will pass and what we can afford."
