Roosevelt ISD's $58.5M bond package takes large early voting lead in Lubbock County

Roosevelt ISD voters have given the district's $58.5 million bond package a large early voting lead, with nearly 71% of early votes supporting the proposal, according to unofficial results released by the Lubbock County Elections Office on election night Saturday.
The bond package, aimed mostly at campus facilities, received support from 339 RISD voters, with 139 against in early voting. Saturday's election results were still being calculated.
Ahead of the election, RISD Superintendent Dallas Grimes told the A-J that the bond package comes as the district is facing aging and inadequate facilities that need some upgrades or that need to be completely rebuilt.
"In the last 65 years, this community has not passed a bond for a brand new academic campus," Grimes said. "Now is the time, in our opinion, to maximize the growth that has moved into the district."
For some, yes.
Schools have two means of support funded through taxes. A school's maintenance and operations (M&O) tax rate is set by the state and can only be used to help the district to pay salaries and daily operational expenses.
The interest and sinking (I&S) tax rate is what the Texas school district can leverage for bonds to help pay for capital projects and improvements.
Grimes said the proposal is asking residents to consider a 21-cent increase to the district's current I&S rate, which is set at 19 cents, according to the Texas Education Agency.
For context, according to the TEA, RISD I&S tax rate has been dropping since the Fiscal Year 2020-21 rate, which was at 28.16 cents per $100 home value evaluations that fell to 21 cents in FY 21-22.
However, this tax increase will not affect homeowners over the age of 65 who have filed for an "Over 65 Exemption," according to RISD. If the tax rate is approved, RISD stated that it would cost homeowners with a $150,000 home valuation approximately $8.34 per month.
"If we're successful, we would build a brand new elementary campus," Grime said.
With the growing size of the district, Grimes said the new facility would be able to house 600 students. He also said the need for the build stems from the average age of the district facilities being around 65 years old, with parts of the elementary being 90 years old.
"It was built in 1935," Grimes said. "There's a (Works Projects Administration) plaque on there."
For context, WPA was a New Deal initiative from the Franklin D. Roosevelt presidential administration.
Grimes said that the new elementary school would be located directly behind the existing one, and once completed, the district will demolish the existing structure.
Other projects would include upgrades to the secondary campus for the district, including interior renovations and expanding the dining hall.
"We're out of space in our dining hall - our freshman class eats in the practice gym on the bleachers," Grimes said.
The district would also fund upgrades to its septic systems, leach fields, and sewer lines, and expand the existing awning for buses to accommodate more buses, to better protect them, ensuring the district's investment in the fleet lasts longer.
Grimes said the district has to wait 90 days after the Election day, given that it's approved, before it could start issuing bonds, but it would take about three years to complete every project on the district's to-do list.
"The sewer septic systems, probably what we would turn loose first on just trying to get all that stuff out of the way so that we can tie into the new buildings," Grimes said.
Grimes said it's because of the Leprino Foods factory that was recently built in the district's area just east of Lubbock.
"That factory is valued so highly that they would basically pick up at least 50% of all these improvements - that's just how much valuation there is in that factory," Grimes said.
However, Grimes said now is the time to do so because the factory will depreciate over the years, meaning their contributions will also shrink.
"To get the max contribution from these recent industrial improvements, we really need to pass this now; otherwise, by delaying it, construction costs will go up and their contribution will go down," Grimes said.
"Whether it goes thumbs up or thumbs down, the needs of the district will be here," Grimes said.
With the district's aging facilities, the growth of Lubbock is impacting the district and capitalizing on Leprino to foot some of the bill, Grimes said, now is the time to make the necessary changes to facilities to ensure they last for the next 50 to 60 years.
To learn more about the RISD 2025 Bond, visit roosevelt.k12.tx.us.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: How did Roosevelt ISD's $58.5M bond package do in May 3 election?

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