Joshua ISD calls for $106M bond
Mar. 21—In an effort to keep up with a rapidly growing district, the Joshua ISD board of trustees has called for a $106,246,000 bond election on May 4. This is the third bond the district has attempted to get voters to pass since 2022.
"This decision has been made after extensive consideration of areas of needs in our district while balancing the expectations of our community," JISD Superintendent Corey Hickerson said. "Texas public schools do not receive funding for their renovations or building of new schools and must use bond elections to do so."
It has been nine years since the last passed bond. The 2015 bond was on time and on budget. It included building Nichols Middle School and the Agricultural Project Center, CTE updates, parking and paving replacements at Caddo Grove and North Joshua Elementary Schools, roof replacements, safety and security upgrades and technology updates. Voters have approved bonds in 1997, 2001 and 2007. Each of the bonds included construction of new buildings or building updates.
After listening to community feedback, trustees chose to divide the bond into four propositions. If all propositions were approved, the estimated impact for an average-priced home in Joshua ISD would be $25.67 per month.
Zonda Education conducted a demographic study for the district projecting Joshua ISD to enroll more than 6,400 students by 2027-28, and about 7,000 students by the 2031-32 school year. In addition, Elder and North Joshua elementary schools are exceeding capacity, with North Joshua projected to exceed capacity by about 315 students in the 2032-33 school year.
There are 21 actively building subdivisions and 17 future subdivisions in the planning stages. A.G. Elder Elementary School and North Joshua Elementary School are already at or past max capacity as of the fall 2023 semester. Caddo Grove Elementary is nearing capacity and is past its estimated enrollment for the 2023-24 school year.
To overcome the capacity issues, the district announced in January that once either Elder or North Joshua reaches capacity for any grade level, newly enrolled students will be enrolled at Plum Creek Elementary School.
Bilingual students at Elder Elementary School could possibly be transferred to Caddo Grove Elementary School when grade level capacity has occurred.
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Early voting is April 22-30 at JISD Administration Building, 310 E. 18th St., and Election Day is May 4 at Joshua Community Room, 907 S. Broadway St.
Proposition A — $63.1M
Keep Up With Growth
The district is growing and it's elementary and middle schools are at or near capacity, which means every seat in every classroom is full. Proposition A fund the construction of a new elementary school and creation of an addition to Nichols Middle School to have more classrooms for growth.
The new elementary school would be built to the district's new standards for energy efficiency, safety and security and modern learning spaces. The new 92,500-square-foot elementary school would be in the Panchasarp Farms subdivision located behind the QuikTrip on Texas 174.
The 13,500-square-foot addition to Nichols Middle School would include: ten additional classrooms along with a science lab to increase the campus capacity to 1,000 students.
Proposition B — $8.9M
JHS Cafeteria and Kitchen Renovation & Expansion
Proposition B would include renovation and expansion updates to the cafeteria and kitchen at Joshua High School.
The high school cafeteria was built in 1983 and has multiple levels in the dining area and kitchen, creating restrictions for the number of students that can eat during each of the school's three lunch periods. The cafeteria can only hold up to 400 students during each lunch period and is near capacity, creating long lines and safety concerns.
The kitchen area has two levels which poses a potential safety risk for cafeteria workers as they transport food and other supplies up and down a ramp that connects the different levels.
Proposition C — $29.5M
CTE Renovation & Expansion at Joshua High School
Proposition C includes a 26,000-square-foot renovation and a 31,000-square-foot addition of the Career and Technical Education facility at Joshua High School.
Some CTE classes are offered in the main portion of JHS. By adding space in the CTE wing, this would allow all CTE classes to be offered in one location. This would free up classroom space in the main portion for core classes such as science, English, math and history. JHS does not have any available classroom space available for growth.
CTE classes are courses offering technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare students for further education and careers in current or emerging professions. The demand for jobs in CTE is increasing. CTE students typically graduate high school with certifications in their field and/or college credits.
—Culinary Arts — Program is at capacity. Expand and renovate the current space to accommodate growth of the program and create a cafe space where the students can simulate a working environment. Relocate and update the two residential kitchens to commercial kitchens.
—Cosmetology — Program is at capacity. Expand and renovate to accommodate growth of the program. Create a salon with a private entrance to increase security of the school.
—Health Science — Update and expand lab spaces to current needs of the program.
—Business, Marketing and Finance — Move classrooms to CTE building, update equipment.
—Computer Science — Move to CTE building and expand due to program growth including update equipment.
—Construction Technology — Program is currently at capacity. Add additional classroom space and renovate labs to ensure equipment meets industry standards and safety of students.
—Education — Move two classrooms to the CTE building. Create a simulated classroom space.
—Arts, A/V, Technology and Communications — Move to CTE building and expand to create specific lab and studio spaces including updating equipment to industry standard.
—Engineering — Move to CTE building and expand to create specific lab space.
—Criminal Justice — Move forensics to CTE building and add a forensics lab and evidence room. Plan for future criminal justice pathway by including additional lab and classroom spaces.
JHS' Career & Technical Education facilities are 20 years old and were constructed as part of a renovation to Joshua High School in 2003. The lab and classroom spaces do not meet industry standards for square footage, safety features, ventilation and storage of materials. Tools and equipment are outdated or broken. Many CTE classrooms at JHS lack adequate space required for specialized programs. Thus, creating safety concerns and limiting enrollment for students pursuing a specialized career pathway.
The culinary classroom does not have adequate site lines to all areas of the classroom creating safety concerns for the teacher. Two CTE classrooms can only be accessed through another classroom.
The construction lab does not have an attached classroom and lacks proper ventilation.
Proposition D — $4.7M
District-Wide Upgrades
Included in Proposition D is HVAC replacements, paving improvements at multiple campuses and safety and security upgrades.
Current HVAC systems average 20-25 years of age and are past their useful life at several sites across the district. Some school sites contain 30-year-old units. The district has 360 units that should be replaced. Many parts are starting to fail and require the manufacturer to construct these outdated replacements which are no longer available.
Due to shifting in the ground, the parking and paving around Loflin Middle School and Caddo Grove is significantly cracked and needs new concrete.
The bond proposal would include a fire alarm replacement allowance and new PA systems and security cameras.
