Voters in Cy-Fair ISD will have the opportunity to weigh in on the district's future May 10 as trustees officially called for a $1.2 billion bond referendum during a meeting Feb. 27.
District officials began studying the need for another bond election last year in order to keep up with student growth. The firm Population Survey Analysts completed a comprehensive demographic study on the district in 2013 and projected that more than 15,000 new students will enroll in CFISD through 2020.
The bond referendum—CFISD's first in nearly seven years—highlights several areas of need within the district: security, transportation, facilities and technology. The following items are included in the bond referendum:
Student Growth
Elementary No. 57
Elementary No. 58
Middle School No. 19
Matzke Elementary replacement
Second natatorium
Third agriculture center
Cold food warehouse
Future school sites
TOTAL: $197.6 million
Transportation
Purchase new buses for restoration of transportation service within 2 miles
New transportation center
Purchase buses for growth
Video surveillance
GPS technology on buses
TOTAL: $72.3 million
Security
Intrusion detection panels
Video camera/buzzer at entry
Security vestibules
Closed circuit TV upgrades
Security camera DVR replacement
New communications towers
Emergency call phones
Additional building access card readers
Replace analog cameras with digital
Additional closed circuit TV cameras
Lockdown buttons
Additional security cameras
Self-closing gates
After-hours separation of cafeteria
Bullet-resistant glass at entries
TOTAL: $55.3 million
Technology
Upgrade standard classroom technology
Upgrade student mobile technology
Upgrade high school labs
Upgrade library technology
Upgrade special campuses
Install instructional technology in new campuses
Upgrade other technology
Install high-speed wireless access infrastructure
Install network electronics infrastructure
Upgrade connectivity, power and air conditioning
Upgrade data center and infrastructure
Upgrade staff's technology and telephone systems
Install technology infrastructure in new schools
Design contingency
TOTAL: $217.2 million
Facilities renovations
Major campus renovations at Adam, Bane and Watkins
Program enhancements
Asset protection
TOTAL: $666.6 million
If the bond passes, the district's debt service tax rate is projected to increase incrementally each year for three years beginning in 2015-16. The cumulative tax rate increase for that time period is projected to be 4.5 cents, which amounts to $62.25 annually on a home valued at $200,000.
For more detailed information on the $1.2 billion bond package, see Community Impact Newspaper's March 20 edition.
