GISD answers questions about bond

Yahoo

17-04-2025

In the midst of scrutiny from the public regarding an upcoming bond election, Gainesville Independent School District hosted an information meeting Monday afternoon to answer any questions the public may have.
The bond is for $58,833,798 to renovate the five main GISD schools. These renovations include new classrooms for the elementary and intermediate schools, a new career and technical education wing for the high school, a new roof for the junior high and other general repairs, updates and security measures on all campuses.
These updates do not cover everything that officials say need to be done at GISD, but it will help get everything back up to standard.
'We had a facility assessment done about four years ago from a third-party who came in to look at all our instructional space, not the admin building, not athletic facilities, just instructional space where kids work in classes,' said Superintendent DesMontes Stewart. 'Just to bring all of our campuses back up to par, not to add any new classrooms, not to add any innovative learning spaces, just to take what we currently have and bring it back up to par: $300 million. That was four years ago.
'This $58 million helps us get the train back on the tracks and take care of some of the top priorities that are needed here within GISD.'
Some of the new safety and security measures are required by Texas legislature. These new additions have become priorities in the wake of the Uvalde shooting in 2022. However, the state has not included new funds to pay for these measures.
GISD has been applying for grants to pay for these measures with some successful applications, such as a $220,000 grant for an intruder program and emergency alert messaging system. However, GISD would be competing with larger districts, and officials say that grants can only go so far.
'We're trying to do any and everything possible to secure enough funding to take care of those unfunded mandates, but 1,300 school systems are applying for grants,' said Stewart. 'We're going against the Houstons, the Dallas, the Austins, and that list goes on and on, so you have 1,200 plus school systems that are fighting for this small pot of money. Hopefully, we'll see some additional funding come at the conclusion of this legislative session.'
Stewart also explained that while people are paying more in property taxes, the school isn't seeing those funds.
'When property tax values increase and we get more in taxes, the state's contribution goes down,' he said. 'Trust me, I would love for it to stay where it is and continue to grow, but that's not the way it works. When we get more, the state decreases the amount of money that they contribute to the district. In essence, it's a wash: we don't see any new money.'
Two of the updates include a new roof for the junior high and new floors for Edison Elementary, both original to the buildings that were built in the 1960's. A meeting attendee asked about why new athletic facilities were prioritized over fixing these in previous years. Stewart explained how much of the reasoning behind keeping these facilities up-to-date was to save on manpower and expenses in the long-run, plus helping give back to the community.
'That turf didn't pay for itself in one year, but that turf is going to pay for itself over time. It's going to reduce the amount of man hours that we've had to put out there on those fields, which now we can divert those man hours somewhere else,' he said. 'From a community standpoint, those fields are utilized by more than just GISD. You've got the college who uses those fields, you have our youth sports that utilize them, both indoor and outdoor, so when you talk about overall the benefit that provides to our community, it's priceless.'
Throughout the bond planning process, it has been emphasized by the district that Gainesville Junior High is the oldest building currently in use for classrooms, hence why it needed the most work. At the information meeting, it was brought up that the current high school was built in 2005 because the previous junior high, which was built in 1937, was beyond repair.
This led to someone asking why the district wasn't looking at building a new junior high, similar to what happened in 2005.
In November 2021, a bond was voted down to build a new junior high for $70 million. As that proposal was denied and construction costs have risen over the past four years where it would take over $80 million now, the devision was made to try to scale back and renovate.
'Keep in mind, we built that high school for $24.5 million [in 2005],' said Stewart. 'Same building, nothing extra, built in 2025, $120 million, almost $100 million more … The overarching theme is, it's not going to get cheaper … We have to have these conversations, but while we have these conversations, construction prices are continuing to climb.'
In the discussion with the high school, concerns were also brought up about GISD asking for more money while the district is already in debt. Director of Finance John Hill explained that the debt was intentional.
'It's an investment, like your house, but the difference is, unlike your house being a single-family home, we're traipsing in thousands of kids through these halls,' he explained. 'We refinance three of those bonds … reducing the amount that we're paying for interest and letting that money work for us. It's that old saying, if you're paying a low interest on your house, then you better be investing your money in the stock market because you're going to get a better return … These bonds are at such a low rate for what we're financing, it makes more economical sense to keep them going, paying them, and refinance them when we can for lower rates.'
If the bond passes, the district is looking at a three-to-five year timetable to accomplish all the updates. According to Stewart, there will be a six to eight month window of going into deeper planning and prioritizing projects before seeing the change.
'Once we get the results, my plans will include a kind of Bond Oversight Committee similar to this where we sit down and give constant updates about where the projects are,' said Stewart. 'Also giving financial review … people want to know are we coming in under budget? Are we coming in over budget? … Hopefully I can provide you with the answers so that you can have the clarity to speak competently about what's taking place throughout the bond.'
Another question about the planning process involved if the district could use local contractors and businesses. GISD Director of Maintenance and Operations Joe Warren explained that yes, the district can, if the company has the means.
'Because of the magnitude, the amount of money, we are mandated by the state to take it out for a competitive sealed process,' he said. 'We encourage the general contractors to utilize our preferred vendors that we utilize here in town. Unfortunately, sometimes that just doesn't happen because the sheer size of whatever the project may be.'
Overall, attendees said it was an informative meeting, with one community member noting what was discussed needs to get out to the public.
'I know a lot of people weren't able to attend this meeting because we are a blue collar community. We are a working class community, so it's a luxury for some of us to be able to attend this meeting tonight on a school night,' said GHS alumnus and local businesswoman Renee Jones. 'I regret my ignorance, but I was not aware that state funding is reduced when we grow as a community. Ultimately, our district is being penalized by the state, and that's something we should take up with our state representatives with regard to the deficiency that they're creating … We have exponential growth coming in the next 36 to 48 months, and it's terrifying because we don't have the infrastructure for it, and it could be very critical to the educational opportunities of our children.'
Early voting is April 22-29 with Election Day on May 3. Early voting will be held at the Gainesville Civic Center at 311 S. Weaver St. in Gainesville daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Election Day polling locations vary based on precinct within GISD with Precincts 1, 1C, 2, 3, 4 and 4C at the Gainesville Civic Center, Precincts 6, 7 and 8 voting at Woodbine Baptist Church at 245 CR 211 in Woodbine, Precincts 10 and 11 at the Valley View Community Center at 101 S. Lee Street in Valley View and Precinct 33 voting at St. Peters Church at 431 Ash St. in Lindsay. All polling locations are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.