La Vega Independent School District voters will make their decision May 4 on a $92.9 million bond issue that seeks to bring some district facilities into the present through renovation while expanding others for future needs.
It comes after Texas voters approved a constitutional amendment in November that raised homestead exemptions to $100,000, lowering taxes for many homeowners, and an infusion of state money earlier in the year that also lowered school taxes.
La Vega Superintendent Sharon Shields, however, said the process of needs analysis and planning that resulted in the proposed bond package started at least three years ago, long before any tax changes.
“The timing (of the bond election) has nothing to do with the $100,000 homestead exemption. That’s coincidental,” Shields said.
More pertinent to the timing of the bond is growth in the 3,133-student district, the third largest public school district in the county. The district’s enrollment has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, and the construction of new housing developments in the district means more students are on the way.
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“Families are choosing to stay in the district,” Shields said.
In addition to future growth, the bond proposal aims to update the district’s schools and facilities. School board President Henry Jennings, who has served 31 years on the board, said it has been more than a decade since some schools have seen facility improvements. A $24.4 million bond issue in 2009 funded a new intermediate school and administration building plus improvements to the high school.
This year’s bond proposal has three propositions for voters. The bulk of proposed school expansions and improvements are in the $76.5 million Proposition A. Proposition B includes $4.5 million for stadium improvements, and Proposition C includes $11.9 million for a covered all-weather field for multiple programs at the high school.
If voters pass all three, the district’s property tax rate of $1.01 per $100 valuation would increase by 24.5 cents per $100 valuation, but still remain below the district’s 2022 tax rate. For the owner of a home valued at $186,823, the average home value in the district, the increased rate would mean an extra $17.73 in taxes per month. Bond project information at lavegaisdbond.com notes that homeowners who are 65 and older or disabled can have their school taxes frozen, with a link to a tax exemption application form.
Proposition A would anticipate district growth by adding four classrooms each to La Vega’s primary, elementary and junior high schools. It would also create a stand-alone building with instructional and storage space for the high school’s Early College High School classes and career and technical education programs.
Shields said the programs that would move into the new high school building are aimed at getting students into college and careers more quickly, and are rapidly growing in La Vega. Roughly a third of La Vega High School students are enrolled in those programs, and more than half of incoming ninth graders are signed up as well. A new building would provide space for some 200 Early College High School and about 100 career and technical education students.
Proposition A would improve lighting and seating at the 41-year-old high school’s auditorium and expand and renovate the high school fieldhouse. It would build a new gymnasium at the intermediate school, convert a building on the junior high campus into a weight room and improve the district’s Parking Lot F.
Also included in the proposition is the replacement of about half the district’s bus fleet.
Proposition B focuses on improvements at the high school stadium, including seating and restroom upgrades plus a new press box.
Proposition C would build a covered field at the high school that would allow all-weather use by the high school band, cheerleaders and athletic teams.
Early voting will run April 22-30 at the La Vega ISD Administration Building, 400 E. Loop 340. Election Day is May 4, with the same polling place.
Axtell, Connally, Lorena and McGregor independent school districts also have bond issues on their May 4 ballots.