Thrall citizens will have a couple of boxes on May ballots affecting their school district.
On Feb. 10, the Thrall ISD school board unanimously voted to call for a bond election May 7.
“Our board has decided to place some items onto a bond proposition for May,” said Superintendent Tommy Hooker.
There will be two propositions voted on by citizens. One prop mostly affects general education facilities along with some recreational and athletic features on campus. The second prop revolves around Tiger Stadium, Thrall ISD’s football complex.
The props are as follows.
• Proposition A: $64,816,680.00 — The prop has plans for a new elementary campus including playgrounds, gym space, cafeteria, and parking; addition to the high school campus including classrooms, gym space and parking; renovation of current elementary campus to convert to a middle school; and athletic facility upgrades including a new weight room, tennis courts and upgrades for baseball and softball.
• Proposition B: $3,683,320.00 — For Tiger Stadium, the prop would fund a bleacher expansion, parking and field/facility improvements.
If passed, the props would result in a tax increase of 5 cents per $100 valuation over the current tax rate of $1.2897. Thrall ISD says the projection is conservative and a significant economic slowdown should be offset by the use of conservative property value growth assumptions.
Citizens ages 65 and older with a homestead and exemption application filed through the Williamson County Appraisal District would not be affected by the bond election.
A community-wide meeting on the bond propositions will be Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 6 p.m. Residents are encouraged to join and share their thoughts on future facility planning.
Thrall ISD has seen a steady increase in student enrollment with consistent student growth in the past 8 years. Since 2015, enrollment has grown by more than 17% from 675 to 790 students, although the percentage of transfer students has decreased. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has identified Thrall ISD as a Fast Growth District.
Last year, Thrall ISD organized the Short & Long Range Planning Committee to identify facility challenges based on student growth, safety and program needs.
“The facilities are nearing capacity limits, and the district has decided to engage a demographer to research and share current findings that may impact planning decisions,” said Thrall ISD in a press release. “Thrall ISD has been working with a consultant to develop a strategic facility plan that will be considered by the board for adoption to serve as a guide for future facilities. The goal is to have a plan that guides our decisions to expand 10-20 years into the future”
The committee created an identified needs list, referred to as the Pile List, based on stakeholder feedback. That list is represented in Propositions A and B. Needs are based on current facility capacities, historical growth patterns, student safety and current facility conditions.
Early voting runs April 25 through May 3. In the meantime, Thrall ISD says more details on the props will be shared through its website and more meetings with residents.
