The Celina Independent School District school band program is slated for a significant financial boost thanks to a recent trustee vote.
Last month, the Celina ISD school board approved $640,156 to outfit middle and high schoolers with new instruments, according to Community Impact. This is considerably more than the $450,000 and $340,000 greenlit for this same purpose in May 2022 and May 2023, respectively.
Known as the Bobcat Band, the high school program was highly recognized after it won the UIL 4A State Marching Championship in 2022.
As a result, Celina ISD has projected significant growth of its band program and is aiming to order instruments — some of which have a wait time of over a year before being delivered — as John Mathews, chief operations officer, explained per Community Impact.
While about 370 students were signed up for the middle school band program this school year, 465 students are expected to do so in the 2025-2026 school year. On the high school level, a growth of 119% is anticipated based on middle school figures and high retention rates.
In September, the school board approved refurbishing a new trailer donated by Mayflower Moving Company to the tune of $128,750. This sum includes $37,750 for repairs and $99,990 for the trailer’s build-out, graphics, and more.
The band had been using its 33-foot box truck while renting another 26-foot box truck during band season.
“As we show up with our band trailer it will represent excellence that we’re pursuing here as a school district,” Mathews said, according to Community Impact.
Thanks to the popularity of the band program, solid academic ratings, and population growth in Collin County, Celina ISD has seen its student enrollment figures rise from 2,831 students in 2019 to 4,544 in 2023. District leaders have already begun facility expansion efforts to accommodate a projected student body of over 10,000 students by 2028, per the Celina Record.
Other districts in North Texas, including Fort Worth ISD and Dallas ISD — the latter chronically recording lackluster student academic results — have seen falling student enrollment figures amid demographic shifts, charter school competition, and more, as previously covered in The Dallas Express.
