Chapel Hill ISD proposes new bond election after last year’s failed to pass

SMITH COUNTY, Texas (KLTV) - The Chapel Hill Independent School District board is calling for a bond election once again after last year’s bond failed to pass.

The goal of this bond is to improve the safety and facilities within the school district while providing a more up-to-date learning environment for the students.

This year’s bond focuses on select campuses and totals to $13 million with three propositions.

“We actually called a bond last year and that bond failed by just a handful of votes, and now we are back at the table primarily because we want to provide a high-quality environment for our students to learn,” said Lamond Dean, the superintendent of the schools at Chapel Hill.

Dean says this year’s bond is meant to lessen the burden that taxpayers may have felt in the last bond by not addressing all Chapel Hill ISD campuses in this year’s bond.

“The bond impact is $13.53 for a home value at a $100,000; in our community that’s the most that a taxpayer will pay,” said Dean.

Proposition A of the bond includes building a new junior high school, a new career and technology education center, and adding new classes to Jackson and Wise elementary schools.

Proposition B proposes to build a new multipurpose activity center to house university interscholastic league events within the district for sports and activities.

Proposition C includes building a new operation center to improve the school bus parking and walk ways.

Attendees at the bond hearing expressed mixed feelings. Some asked to lessen the amount while some expressed the need to pass the bond before the tax impact increases from steadily putting it off.

“They are recommending that there is another tax break for homeowners so the more the tax break is then the less that you ultimately have to pay have to pay,” said Dean.

The deadline to register to vote in the May election is April 6, while early voting starts on April 24.

The last day to vote is May 6.

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