BISHOP, Texas —
In a couple months, Bishop CISD will be asking voters to approve a $28 million bond.
District superintendent, Christina Gutierrez says administration has been talking about the potential of putting together a bond for about a year now. In October, the district formed a facilities committee to help leaders assess which facilities around the district needed to be updated or repaired.
Come May, it will be up to voters to decide whether those updates can happen.
"There's just a lot of things that we are excited about and that we think that the students at Bishop absolutely deserve," Gutierrez said. "We just want to make our district just a little more attractive for our own people and anybody else who may be considering coming to Bishop in the future years."
The bond will be split into two different propositions. One for $20 million that will go towards new buses, district wide safety, security improvements, facility upgrades and additions such as replacing old playgrounds, HVAC repairs, adding more seating at the high school's main gym and even adding a brand new facility for outdoor sports.
"We have a lot of work that needs to be done to the flooring, with the painting, with walls, with upgrades in the restrooms, upgrades in the classrooms, windows that need to be repaired," Gutierrez said.
Director of Information and Instructional Technology, Sheri Hayes believes the new security cameras and access controls the bond could bring are crucial in continuing to protect all students and staff.
"Needless to say, safety and security is very important, so the camera system, the door locks, everything that we provide in the technology department will go to ensure the students safety and the teachers safety," Hayes said.
A second proposition on the ballot will be asking for $8 million to go towards football stadium and the baseball and softball complex improvements. That would include adding more seating at the football stadium and a new press box.
"We're looking at the possibility of turf for the football field," Gutierrez said. "We're also looking at increasing the seating capabilities at the baseball and softball field."
In the last 24 years, the school district has only had two other bond elections. There was one in 2007 for $24 million to build the current high school and another in 2018 that cost $15.2 million.
While the new bond costs more than the two prior, Gutierrez says the district feels strongly that there will be a small financial impact to the community because of the State-mandated $100,000 homestead exemption.
"Bishop CISD also offers an additional 20% discount on taxes. So, for example, if you have a home in Bishop that is appraised at $120,000, that person's taxable value is going to come out at zero. Therefore, not paying a single penny for any of this bond election," she said.
Because the average home taxable value in Bishop is just under $40,000, the district says the average taxpayer would only see about a $45 increase in taxes per year. That averages about $3.76 per month.
"I think that the community members need to know that it's time for these improvements," she said. These students at the lower levels, the primary, elementary, Petronilla campuses, they've waited a very long time to be able to get their improvements and their upgrades at their campuses. It's going to be important also for our junior high campus and the high school."
The bond election will have an early voting period starting on April 17. and ending on April 30. Election day will follow on May 4.
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