Northwest ISD seeks voter approval for $700 million bond after previous failed proposal
The Northwest Independent School District — one of the fastest growing school districts in the state — has proposed a new bond package after a previous proposal failed to pass in the November election.
After voters rejected the nearly $1 billion bond package last election season, the district immediately made plans to include a revised proposal on the May ballot. The rejection of the first bond package set the district back by about a year in its plans to keep up with growth, Superintendent Ryder Warren said.
The new bond package cuts $240 million from the first proposal, which would have built seven schools, expanded three others and renovated existing campuses in the rapidly growing district. The May ballot will include four propositions that total $745.7 million.
The ballot propositions are:
- Proposition A: School Facilities & Capital Improvements - $712,400,000
- Proposition B: Stadium Renovations - $8,200,000
- Proposition C: Middle School Recreational Facilities - $5,700,000
- Proposition D: Technology Devices - $19,400,000
“This time around, we knew we just needed to stick to the simple needs of the students — school buildings, which take up a huge chunk of Prop A, and things that you need with those school buildings,” said Joe Washam, a member of the Long Range Planning Committee (LRPC), in a press release from the school district.
The district worked with community members and the planning committee removed 35 projects from the failed November 2020 bond proposal, reducing the overall dollar amount and the time frame between bond elections.
Members of the LRPC told the school board that the committee tried to find the “sweet spot” of what projects were most needed to support future growth. The majority of the bond package is designed to address growth by providing nearly 5,000 additional seats for new students, the district said.
About 4,000 to 5,4000 additional students are expected to enroll in NISD by the 2024-2025 school year. Construction of new homes also continues at a higher rate than anywhere else in Dallas-Fort Worth, according to the district.
Northwest is already bursting at the seams with its current schools. Several elementary schools use portable trailers to hold an overflow of students. Three more elementary schools are slotted to open in the coming years — the first set to open in 2021 — based on a $399 million bond program passed in 2017.
The district says because of the immense growth in the area, the district would be able to pay back the bonds with no increase to the tax rate. However, because of increasing property values, homeowners’ tax bills are increasing overall, which may have contributed to voters’ rejection of the November bond.
“We have the ability to repay these,” said Jacob Wurman, a member of the LRPC, in the press release. “COVID has not stopped real estate from happening. The money is going to be there to fund these projects. As these cow pastures turn over into residential neighborhoods, we are going to continue to grow this tax base at exponential rates.”
Additional details about each proposition and the proposed projects — as well as an explanation of school taxes — can be found at nisdtxbond.org. Residents are also encouraged to submit questions to onthegrow@nisdtx.org and to attend community meetings where district leaders will discuss the proposed projects and answer questions from the audience.
Any registered voter who resides within NISD’s boundaries is eligible to vote in the May 2021 bond election. New residents and first-time voters have until April 1 to register to vote if they’d like to participate in this election. Early Voting locations will be open April 19-27, and Election Day is Saturday, May 1.
This story was originally published February 9, 2021 at 9:15 PM.
