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CISD board calls $79.5 million bond election
By Dan Eakin, deakin@starlocalnews.com
The Coppell school board Monday night voted unanimously to order a school bond election for May 11.
Voters in the Coppell Independent School District will be asked to approve a $79.5 million package which had been recommended by a Bond Committee.
The bonds would be used toward the cost of a new elementary school in Cyprus
Both on Monday night and at a workshop earlier in the month, the school board members discussed at length whether to offer the entire $79.5 million package as one proposition on the ballot, or whether to offer the field house expansion and possibly other items in a second proposition.
Some of the school board members had earlier indicated they might favor two propositions.
However, David Apple, with the support of Susie Kemp and Thom Hulme, strongly urged that the entire package be offered to the voters as one proposition.
Apple, after much discussion, made that motion which was seconded by Judy Barbo and approved by a 7-0 vote.
Apple said the Bond Committee had worked hard to prepare what it felt was needed to be in the bond package, and that he believed the voters should be given an opportunity to approve the entire package on one proposition.
Apple said he understands that $79.5 million is a lot of money, but he expressed confidence that the voters will see the needs of the students and approve the proposition.
“It will now be our job to educate the voters as to why it is important to approve the package,” Apple said.
On a $276,000 home (the average home value in Coppell) the estimated annual increase in taxes would be $159.47 for a $79.5 million bond election.
An itemized breakdown of bond projects proposed by the school board, if the bonds are approved by the voters, is as follows:
1. New elementary school (including furniture, equipment, and technology) - $21 million
2. District-wide technology infrastructure, replacements, improvements - $12 million
3. District-wide campus learning upgrades and renovations - $9.2 million
4. Band, library, and classroom instructional materials and improvements - $3.8 million
5. Coppell High School expansions and renovations - $27.1 million
(includes kitchen/cafe renovation, multi-purpose competition gym/arena, expansion/renovation of athletic field house)
6. District-wide safety and security improvements - $1 million
7. District-wide maintenance projects and mechanical renovations - $5.4 million
Total projects - $79.5 million
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
Kruzer1 wrote on Apr 13, 2013 10:18 AM:
" This bond is not about needs. It is about a few needs mixed in with a lot of unnecessary wants. The school board is taking a page from Washington D.C. tactics: tack on a bunch of extras to a bill addressing some necessities and put the opponents in the position of having to vote the entire package down. Please do not vote for this wasteful package of overspending. Make the school board present the items separate so they can each be voted up or down. "
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