Grapevine-Colleyville school bond package gets voter approval

Voters in the Grapevine-Colleyville school district approved a $249 million bond package Saturday that will add indoor practice facilities at Grapevine and Colleyville Heritage high schools, upgrade campus security and technology and enhance existing classrooms.

With all five precincts reporting, the vote was 4,075 (54.15 percent) for and 3,450 against, according to the Tarrant County elections website.

The bond package, put together by a committee of parents, community members and district staff, includes about 1,300 projects.

Among the highest-priced projects:

• $76.4 million for infrastructure improvements that include replacing aging HVAC units, upgrading technology networks, improving disability access, and new playgrounds, buses and kitchen equipment;
• $62.2 million for classroom enhancements like technology, collaborative spaces and new furniture.
• $33.6 million to rebuild most of Cannon Elementary School, which was built in 1959 and is plagued with foundation problems;
• $32.8 million for multipurpose activity centers at Colleyville Heritage and Grapevine high schools;
• $30.9 million in security and safety upgrades like controlled entry and surveillance cameras;
• $9.1 million for additions at Grapevine and Timberline elementary schools and Grapevine Middle School.

It's almost double the size of the last bond proposal, a $124.5 million package approved by voters in 2011.

Superintendent Robin Ryan said bond programs are particularly important for Robin Hood districts like Grapevine-Colleyville because they have little room for long-term items in their daily operating budgets.

Sale of the bonds would raise the school tax rate by up to 12.81 cents, although it could be slightly lower with the recent growth in property values, officials said. For a resident with a home valued at $300,000, the annual increase will be about $384.

Arlington school board

With all 33 precincts reporting, Place 4 incumbent John Hibbs drew 4,990 votes, or 76.60 percent, in unofficial returns. He faced a challenge by civil-rights activist Luis Castillo.

Crowley school board

Place 5 incumbent Ryan E. Ray garnered 545 votes, or 41.83 percent, in complete but unofficial returns. Challengers Lizdelia Piñon and Eric Christopher Johnson Jr. each had about 29 percent of the vote.

Place 6 incumbent Gary Grassia, who faced challenger Leticia Gonzales, drew 776 votes, or 60.44 percent.

Azle school board

In the race for Place 5, Sam Merck had 366 votes in Tarrant, Parker and Wise counties combined, good for 58 percent of the vote. Robert Seals collected 265 votes.

Eagle Mountain-Saginaw school board

In Place 3, Tim Daughtrey got 1,055 votes, or 54.35 percent to Blake Mabry’s 886 votes, or 45.65 percent (all 13 precincts reporting).

Keller school board

In the Place 1 race, Jim Stitt, 71, a retired Keller school district teacher and former businessman who has served on the board since 2010, had 3,489 votes, or 59.29 percent, with all precincts reporting.

Kellie McGee, 38, a speech therapist who has lived in the Keller school district for nine years and has two children attending Keller schools, drew 2,396 votes.

In Place 2, Karina Davis, a 46-year-old compensation and benefits manager, has been a trustee for three years. She drew 4,600 votes, or 88.97 percent.

Mark Holt registered after the filing deadline as a write-in candidate and collected 570 votes. Holt, 67, is a retired teacher at Tarrant County College.

In Place 3, Cindy Lotton, a 62-year-old elementary school counselor in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford district, is completing her fourth term on the board. She had 3,501 votes, or 60.16 percent.

Kris Kittle, 42, an adjunct professor at Dallas Baptist University with two children in Keller schools, got 2,318 votes.

Weatherford schools

For trustee Place 3, Ashley Conlon received 1070 votes or 65 percent of the ballots cast to challenger Matt Herron who received 570 votes or 35 percent.

For trustee Place 4, Greg Shaw won narrowly with 743 votes or 44 percent of the votes cast to challenger Ben Schoonover who had 717 votes with 43 percent. Brad Neal, also in the race, finished with 219 votes, or 13 percent.

Aledo schools

In Place 4, Forrest Collins finished with 880 votes (58 percent) to challenger Steve Bartley’s 637 (42 percent).

Springtown schools

In Place 1, Rick Beall won with 356 or 52 percent of the ballots cast over Rusty Brawner, who finished with 334, or 48 percent.

This story was originally published May 7, 2016 at 8:56 PM with the headline "Grapevine-Colleyville school bond package gets voter approval."