January 25, 2022- The Boerne Independent School District will hold a Bond Election on Saturday, May 7, 2022. The ballot will consist of two separate propositions, totaling $165.64 million dollars, and will focus on safety, growth, and technology.
The Boerne ISD Board of Trustees accepted the recommendations of the district’s Long Range Steering Committee, which is composed of over 80 community volunteers including parents, teachers, students, and business members. The committee met eight times over a span of five months to discuss ways to manage the district’s growth, which led to the creation of the proposed bond package.
“We are very grateful to the members of the Long Range Steering Committee for building a bond package that addresses our fast-growing school district,” Boerne ISD Superintendent Dr. Thomas Price said. “As our student enrollment continues to grow, it is imperative that we continue to be proactive with solutions on how to manage the fast growth. The committee was made up of over 80 community volunteers. Thank you to the students, teachers, parents, and business owners who worked so hard to build the bond proposal,” Dr. Price concluded.
Since the end of the 2020-21 school year, Boerne ISD’s student enrollment has increased by nearly 1,000 students, including an increase of over 400 students since August 2021. Boerne ISD’s current enrollment is over 10,400 students. Projections from Boerne ISD’s Demographer, PASA, estimate the district’s student enrollment to double to nearly 21,000 students by 2031.
PROPOSITION 1
Proposition 1 has a total cost of $162.64 million dollars and includes building the district’s eighth elementary school and expansions at most secondary campuses to accommodate growth. Additionally, an aquatics learning center, general maintenance upgrades for aging facilities, land purchases for future projects, updating and refreshing network infrastructure, and more are part of this proposition.
PROPOSITION 2
Proposition 2 has a total cost of $3 million dollars. This proposition will solely focus on the purchase of student and staff devices district-wide, as well as a general refresh and update of devices at all campuses.
TAX RATE
The $165.64 million total of both bond propositions should not raise Boerne ISD’s tax rate, and taxes for residents 65 and over are frozen. However, House Bill 3, the comprehensive school finance bill passed by the 86th Texas Legislature in 2019, added subpart (b-1) to Section 45.003 of the Education Code governing school district bond elections. This addition states “The ballot proposition under Subsection (b) must include the following statement: ‘This is a property tax increase.’” The Legislature’s wording in this statute makes the inclusion of this statement mandatory in all Texas school district bond election ballot propositions.
2016 BOND
Voters approved a $175 million bond proposition for the Boerne Independent School District Board on May 7, 2016. The measure passed by a margin of 3,485 to 1,262. Funds from the bond were used to build two new elementary campuses and the District's third middle school. In addition, the bond funded a broad range of improvements benefiting all campuses in the district.
VOTING INFORMATION
Early voting begins on Monday, April 25th, and ends Tuesday, May 3rd. Election day is Saturday, May 7th. The final day to register to vote in the election is April 7th.
