The city of Thrall let their voices be heard this past Election Day on Saturday, May 7.
The residents went to the polls and voted on two separate propositions for Thrall ISD. Proposition A, the larger of the two, passed with 53.58% of the votes, while Proposition B failed with 55.04% of the votes.
Proposition A includes improvements to general education facilities, such as plans for a new elementary campus with playgrounds, gym space, cafeteria and parking. It also includes additions to the high school campus with classrooms, gym space and parking. Also included are renovations of the current elementary campus to convert it to a middle school. Minor changes and upgrades were voted for athletic facility upgrades, including a new weight room, tennis courts, baseball and softball upgrades.
“The Thrall administration and board are thankful to the community who recognizes our needs and values being proactive with our future facility planning,” said Superintendent Tommy Hooker. “We will continue to be a world class school with high expectations just as our families, our students, and our school faculty expect. The Proposition A passing shows the support for the facilities our students need to be competitive and valued for their amazing accomplishments.”
The amount for Proposition A is $64,816,680.
“I’m incredibly pleased that we work in a community that sees the value in investing in kids today and their future. Passing proposition A signifies that our community is committed to excellence and evolving to meet the needs of our students,” said Thrall High School Principal Nicole Tindol. “For the high school this will mean opportunity to expand programs of study and core departments. I’m grateful to the community for their support of Thrall academics, facilities and future.”
Proposition B, a significantly smaller $3,683,320 amount, failed to pass with the voters. It included upgrades and improvements to the Tiger Stadium facility, bleacher expansion, parking, and field and facility improvements.
“As far as Prop B not passing, it was minimal as far as the scope of the large project in Prop A and Prop B combined. As far as passing Prop A, we have the approval of nearly $65 million to accomplish 98% of our facilities planned by our Short- and Long-Range Planning Committee,” said Hooker. “Prop B not being a success just gives us something to work on refining and bringing a more complete package to the community in the future.”
Thrall athletic director Aaron Vanecek also commented on Proposition B not passing.
“My thoughts reflect our school leadership and our planning committee, which is, just like Prop A, Prop B is a need for our district,” said Vanecek. “The vote for Prop B was very close to passing, which means most of our voting community feels the same. We will respect our community’s vote and hopefully be able to expand and improve our stadium facility one day in the future.”
