From the cover
BY SAMANTHA DOUTY & HANNAH JOHNSON
$2.8B Prosper ISD bond looks to add schools, technology
The context
Two-minute impact
The portables at Rucker don’t have working plumbing so students must go inside the main building for restrooms, water and lunch, Rubin said. Rucker is one of the campuses that would be updated with bond funding from Proposition A. “Our kids deserve the best, and there are a lot of updates construction-wise that would make our kids safer,” she said.
As the district continues to expand, campuses outgrow their spaces and need to use portable classrooms. Ferguson said the district has 134 portable classrooms that house 5,000 students. At Rucker Elementary School, nearly 160 students learn in portables. Being separated from the building is a safety concern, Assistant Principal Nicole Rubin said.
In 20 years, PISD’s enrollment grew by more than 2,700% to 28,003. It is expected to grow to nearly 46,000 students over the next decade, district data shows. “It’s a little bit of crystal ball-gazing [into the future] because you’re making decisions for kids who are not even here yet,” Superintendent Holly Ferguson said. Because of that growth, the district’s Nov. 7 bond includes four propositions. Proposition A looks to address growth by:
28,003
10K 15K 20K 25K 30K
45,647 are estimated to be enrolled at Prosper ISD by the 2033-34 school year.
• Funding 10 new schools • Expanding four campuses • Buying land for eight schools
16,857
Proposition B would provide new devices. Proposition C would bring a second athletic stadium, which Ferguson said is needed for the additional high schools. Proposition D would build a performing arts center. “[Growth] is a topic and a conversation daily in a district like ours,” Ferguson said. “It impacts every single decision that we make.”
7,076
3,637
0 5K
1,475
890
2000-01
2004-05
2009-10
2014-15
2019-20
2023-24*
School year
SOURCE: PROSPER ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
*DISTRICT ESTIMATED NUMBERS
Proposition D: $125M Proposition B: $140M
Proposition C: $102.4M
What else?
Deputy Superintendent Kyle Penn said Propo- sition B is needed because district o cials need to buy new devices for the additional sta and thousands of students the district gains each year. New devices are also needed to replaced outdated ones. Some middle schoolers are using devices they received in elementary school, district o cials said. “Devices age out,” Penn said. “You’re updating them just like we are the buildings.”
Proposition A: $2.4B
Total: $2.8B*
*THIS NUMBER HAS BEEN ROUNDED
SOURCE: PROSPER ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
Reynolds Middle School student Lilyan Evans works on classwork on her school-distributed laptop.
SAMANTHA DOUTY COMMUNITY IMPACT
Going forward
Prosper ISD tax rate history
to,” Penn said. District o cials create bonds based on its needs, Penn said. “If you are growing and feel you need schools or if you’re older and you feel you need to replace or renovate something, [then] that could cause a district to call for a bond,” he said.
If all propositions are approved, district o cials said it would have no e ect on PISD’s property tax rate, which the board set in August. With in ation reaching historic highs, Penn said districts need to plan for growth based on existing costs and when they need to build new facilities. “You want to make sure that you’re able to deliver the projects that you’re committing
School year 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24
Tax rate* $1.5684 $1.4927 $1.4603 $1.4429 $1.2575
*PER $100 VALUATION
SOURCE: PROSPER ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
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PROSPER CELINA EDITION
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