Education
Transportation
BY MARK FADDEN & JONATHAN PERRIELLO
BY MIRANDA JAIMES
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD calls $150M bond election for May 4 Members of the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD board of trustees voted 6-1 to approve the recommendation of the district’s bond advisory committee for a $150 million bond package at their regular meeting Jan. 22. The specifics According to district documents, there will be no increase to the interest and sinking, or I&S, tax rate. The current debt portion of the GCISD tax rate is $0.1957 per $100 of property value. According to district officials, that rate is expected to remain at $0.1957 following the bond election. A closer look As the lone dissenter in the vote, Becky St.
Board approves employing chaplains as counselors Carroll ISD trustees approved Dec. 18 a resolution that permits the district to hire or accept volunteer chaplains. Senate Bill 763 passed in 2023 and allows districts to employ chaplains as counselors without State Board for Educator Certifica- tion. The bill also mandates districts take a record vote about the policy. Board President Cameron Bryan said the district is not hiring chaplains to serve as such nor is it replacing counselors. “If somebody is a chaplain and they have the same qualifications and meet the standard of CISD counselors, they are more than welcome to apply for an empty seat,” Bryan said.
Work to begin on Jackson Road Bridge The Texas Department of Transportation is undertaking a new road project in Colleyville. Crews will reconstruct Jackson Road Bridge crossing over Little Bear Creek to widen the travel lanes to 12 feet, provide new 4-foot shoulders and include 5-foot sidewalks on both sides of the bridge. The $1.75 million project will require the complete closure of the roadway at the creek crossing. Work was expected to start in January and end by late summer 2024.
Progress made on bridge replacement project Crews have been busy installing parts of the new storm drain and water line for the Kirkwood Branch Bridge replacement project in Southlake. The details Work began in July on the project, which will raise the elevation of the roadway and construct a pedestrian pathway on the west side, accord- ing to city documents. The project’s scope also includes roadway, bridge, sidewalk and water line improvements. Crews have removed the previous crossing marks at the bridge, which enables the use of structures crews have implemented to enhance stormwater and drainage management. The $6.9 million project is expected to be com- pleted over 18 months. It is funded by the city’s capital improvement program.
Bond details According to district documents, the bond is separated into three propositions.
L N .
BOB JONES PARK
$5.54 million for swim center improvements $10.22 million for instructional technology $134.24 million for safety, bus and school updates
Proposition A
Proposition B
Proposition C
SOURCE: GRAPEVINE-COLLEYVILLE ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
John, trustee for Place 2, was concerned about how the bond will be financed should property tax appraisals not increase at the annual 6% rate that district officials are projecting. In addressing St. John’s concern, Alison Long with BOK Financial Securities, a firm that provides bond election consultation, said if the district doesn’t hit the 6% tax rate, that taxes could potentially go up. “That’s something that we will have to discuss on an annual basis,” Long said.
Southlake
LITTLE BEAR CREEK
H E R W O O D
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EULESS 900 E Harwood Rd (817) 545-2184
BEDFORD 1520 Airport Fwy (817) 508-4490
KELLER 101 Keller Smithfield Rd S (817) 482-8295
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