Election
BY LIZZY SPANGLER
WISD voters to reconsider $115M bond propositions for athletic facilities
What they’re saying
“I do not believe another bond should be able to be voted on, since we, the community, had just voted all of them down. These bonds shouldn’t be able to be reintroduced within the same year.” HEATHER WEATHERLY, WISD RESIDENT
On Nov. 5, Willis ISD voters will reconsider three bond propositions for a student activity center, athletic stadium and aquatic center—propositions that failed in May, Community Impact previously reported. WISD’s Director of Communications Jamie Fails said trustees were disappointed with voter turnout in May. “The school board is really the one who requested that we hold some bond planning meetings ... and discuss the concept of basically a bond continuation,” Fails said. “Just ... putting those back in front of the voters during the presidential election knowing that we’re going to have a larger voter turnout and that that might give us a clearer picture of where the community stands on the issue.” Fails said she believes the district’s 50-year- old stadium doesn’t have enough capacity for the demand, and has limited parking and concessions. As for the need for the aquatic center, Fails said WISD’s swim team uses a pool in Conroe, which limits its growth. Regarding the student activity center, Fails said she believes it could give athletic and extracurricular teams a place to practice while also hosting events such as art shows.
May 4 election results
With the original bond propositions failing with a narrow margin, the district is putting them, unchanged, back on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Proposition A: $27M for a student activity center
52.94% Against
47.06% For
“Timing-wise, [trustees] feel like getting those items done now—passed now, get the funds going and get those items built—allows us to focus on the educational facilities over the next 10 years and even beyond, and not have to try to worry about squeezing those things in somewhere.” JAMIE FAILS, WISD DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Proposition B: $68.8M for an athletic complex and stadium with community room
52.53% Against
47.47% For
Proposition C: $19.6M for an aquatic center
53.97% Against
46.03% For
Montgomery County voter turnout
Registered voters
Voter turnout
50.94% 4.09%
7.5%
73.24%
“We see these things becoming necessities for us. And at the end of the day, these are going to provide opportunities for a lot of students.” KYLE HOEGEMEYER, WISD BOARD PRESIDENT
Nov. 2020
May 2022
Nov. 2022
May 2024
SOURCE: WILLIS ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Diving in deeper
Future bond actions
One more thing
If the propositions passed, the tax impact on residents would be no more than $0.01 per $100 valuation, Fails said. The district’s tax rate for fiscal year 2024-25 is $1.0349 per $100 valuation. “Our growth is going up quick enough that it helps offset that need for a tax increase,” Fails said. In 2021, WISD’s median home value was $206,500, per its January 2024 demographic study. Based on that home value, the impact of a $0.01 tax rate increase is $0.89 monthly or $10.65 yearly. Heather Weatherly, a WISD resident since 2020, said that in May, she was opposed to all the propositions except the ninth-grade center. “The bonds are a waste of taxpayer money,” Weatherly said. “While other schools are enhanc- ing their security protocols, Willis [ISD’s] board is more interested in pushing bonds the community has already said ‘No’ to.”
Nov. 5: Voters to consider athletic facility propositions December 2025*: Construction begins on athletic facilities 2026: Transportation center opens, potential bond election for Elementary No. 8 Spring 2027* : Aquatic, student activity centers open Fall 2027: Ninth-grade center opens December 2027* : Athletic complex opens 2030-40: Potential bond elections for Middle School No. 4, High School Nos. 2 & 3, Elementary No. 9
2024
Fails said one of the biggest factors in running the propositions again is looking at the district’s plan for what officials believe needs to happen over the next 10-15 years regarding its growth projections. By 2026, the district will have built and opened new middle and elementary schools and be potentially looking at another bond for an additional elementary school, according to its website. “There’s not going to be a lot of time or bonding capacity left in [the next five to six years] to get these facilities, that once we have a second high school, we’ll definitely be required to have,” Fails said.
2025
2026
2027
2030-40
*CONTINGENT UPON VOTER APPROVAL NOV. 5 SOURCE: WILLIS ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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