Coppell Independent School District (CISD) is putting several multi-million-dollar projects up for a vote this coming May.
The propositions include renovations that could cost taxpayers between $9.5 million and $269.5 million, according to CISD’s website.
Some of these renovations include changes to campus security, updates to the tennis center at Coppell High School, updates to technology systems, and other improvements.
“[Elementary] schools have not had many capital improvements done,” David Caviness, CISD board president, said per Community Impact. “This bond is really focusing on our elementary and younger students.”
Proposition A is the largest of the four propositions and includes the following:
- $88,533,000 for renovations to all schools
- $84,728,000 for elementary and preschool renovations
- $24,384,000 for inflation contingency
- $19,080,000 for fine arts rehearsal building renovations
- $11,830,000 for fine arts rehearsal space expansion
- $11,343,000 for safety and security enhancements
- $9,998,000 for career-tech and STEM labs
- $6,848,000 for auditorium renovations
- $5,087,000 for Capital equipment and furnishings
- $4,173,000 for buses and fleet vehicles
- $2,156,000 for network and security infrastructure
- $1,424,000 for a multi-purpose lab and makerspace for middle schools
Proposition B consists of district technology upgrades, lifecycle replacements for staff and student devices, wireless access, and audiovisual equipment.
Proposition C is for renovations to Buddy Echols Field, including turf and track replacements.
Proposition D has turf replacements for the Coppell High School field house.
The propositions are intended to update facilities that are aging at CISD. In 2016, the district passed a $249 million bond that created three additional campuses and expanded those that were already in place.
“We’re going to have our work cut out for us to present [the bond package] to the citizens and our stakeholders and educate them on the needs,” Caviness said per Community Impact. “We look forward to making the case to the public on what the needs are and why the work included in these final recommendations are so important to the students of our district.”
CISD’s proposed spending package comes at a time when public school districts are feeling a strain on their operating budgets because of declining enrollment, as previously reported in The Dallas Express.
Dallas Independent School District (DISD), for instance, the second-biggest public school in Texas, has been dealing with declining enrollment for years.
The district’s latest Texas Education Agency accountability report noted that only 41% of its students scored at grade level on the STAAR exam, significantly below the 48% statewide average.