Thorndale ISD voters to consider first school bond in 25 years

The Thorndale Independent School District superintendent said the district has asked voters to consider a $34.5 million bond to help it keep up with a growing student population.

THORNDALE, Texas (KXAN) — The Thorndale Independent School District superintendent said the district has asked voters to consider a $34.5 million bond to help it keep up with a growing student population.

TISD Superintendent Zack Kleypas said the district anticipates enrollment to grow as nearby developments are completed. An example he pointed to was the Samsung Semiconductor facility under construction in Taylor.

The district's webpage on the bond proposal said it would upgrade parts of existing schools, like giving its middle school a new security vestibule and connect all campuses with transitional hallways.

Overall, he said one of the biggest parts of the bond would grant TISD the ability to build a new high school and purchase land for future growth.

Statistics shown in videos of the bond proposal project that TISD's student population could grow from 600 to 1,000 in just 7 years.

Kleypas said the district already has a few temporary fixes already in place to accommodate students.

“Right now our district utilizes seven portable buildings. Some of that's for band, some of it's for special education, some of it's for elementary and some for high school. So we've got students outside of our buildings, just about all throughout the district," Kleypas said.

According to the district's website, the financial impact of the bond for a $150,000 home would be an annual tax increase of $250, roughly $21 a month.

For a home valued at $350,000, there would be a $1,250 annual tax increase, roughly $68 a month.

The district has a tool on its website allowing voters to plug in their tax bill information and calculate their expected change. Visit that link here.

Early voting runs from April 22-30, with regular voting taking place May 4.