Recent tax cuts spur 5 Waco-area bond elections

La Vega, Connally, Lorena, McGregor and Axtell independent school districts have school bond proposals totaling nearly $300 million up for election this spring.

Topping the list is La Vega Independent School District’s $92.4 million plan, which would fund new construction at the district’s five campuses, including an intermediate school gymnasium, and replace about half the district’s bus fleet.

Other proposed projects around the county include a new junior high school in McGregor, a new elementary school in Connally, elementary classroom expansions in Lorena and facility improvements plus a new fieldhouse in Axtell.

The wave of bond proposals this spring follows Texans’ approval in November of a constitutional amendment to increase the school tax homestead exemption to $100,000, lowering many homeowners’ tax bills. The Texas Legislature also changed its funding formulas to lower school tax rates and increase state education funding.

Lorena ISD Board President Denny Kramer said the tax changes were a major consideration when trustees approved the May 4 ballot measure, intended to address the district’s growing enrollment.

Axtell ISD leaders hope to take advantage of as much as $40 million in property value added to their tax base from Hubbard Wind and Jaguar Solar energy projects. Tax revenues from those upcoming projects could cover as much as 23.5% of the proposed bond issue, according to information posted on the district’s website.

Like Lorena, the other district bond issues also address increasing enrollments by proposing additional classrooms for existing schools or new schools to take pressure off other schools. Improvements to athletic facilities or program support are part of the proposals for La Vega McGregor, Lorena and Axtell.

Connally ISD officials are aiming to replace the 61-year-old Connally Elementary, and they are hoping a third time’s a charm.

Voters rejected bond proposals to build a new school in 2021 and 2022. The latest proposal comes from the findings of a new facilities advisory committee formed after the May 2022 bond defeat.

“The district has tried to make do with a building not designed to do what it needs to do,” said David Timmons, assistant superintendent for business and support.

The total of the proposed bond issues, should voters approve all suggested options, would mean almost $300 million in school construction in the near future. That follows a $355 million bond issue passed by Waco ISD voters in 2021, to replace four aging schools with new facilities, and a $148 million in 2019 in Midway to build and renovate several elementary and intermediate schools.

Depending on the outcome of the May 4 bond elections, local builders and contractors should find plenty of work and school districts reasonable bids.

K. Paul Holt, president of the Waco office of the Associated General Contractors of America, said the supply chain issues that bedeviled earlier construction and caused some higher prices have largely resolved.

“Supply chains are smoothing out tremendously and the cost of construction is coming back down,” he observed.

The fact that the various bond issues contain construction and renovation projects of varying sizes also should work to districts’ advantage, Holt said.

“It makes it very advantageous for local contractors to do these jobs,” he said.

Several districts have structured their bond proposals in multiple propositions or priorities to allow voters to choose which options they support.

The districts and their proposals are as follows:

Cost: $92.4 million, broken into three propositions.

Proposition A, at $76.5 million, would cover four new classrooms each at La Vega Primary, Elementary and Junior High Schools; a new La Vega Intermediate School gymnasium; instructional and storage space for the high school’s Early College High School program, representing about a third of the school’s enrollment; upgrade to the high school auditorium built in 1983; improvements to the high school field house and junior high weight room; and 16 new school buses, roughly half of the district’s bus fleet.

Proposition B, at $4.5 million, would pay for stadium seating upgrades and restrooms, and a new press box.

Proposition C, at $11.9 million, would create multi-program activity center at the high school that would allow student activities and training in all weather.

The increase in the tax rate if all pass is 24.5 cents per $100 valuation.

Improvements: New junior high; a multipurpose gymnasium; and expansion of Career Technical Education facilities, including a new agricultural barn, renovated nursing space and an auto mechanic program facility that would also serve as a maintenance hub for the district’s bus fleet.

The bond issue also would include playground safety upgrades and other district-wide building improvements.

The effect on the tax rate was not immediately available on the district’s website.

Improvements: A new Connally Elementary School serving grades 2-5 and some districtwide renovations. The new campus would be away from the current school’s location near Interstate 35 and more centrally located in the district.

The district estimates approval of the bond issue would raise taxes an average of $22.60 per month for the average valued home. Further tax rate information was not immediately available.

Cost: $38.9 million, in two propositions.

Proposition A, for $37.6 million to expand Lorena Elementary School to include second grade; renovate the Lorena Middle School locker rooms; add new performing arts center restrooms; upgrade Lorena High School restroom and expand the band hall.

Proposition B, at $1.3 million, would add a high school sports medicine facility that would allow room for sports medicine therapy, including space for a whirlpool, ice machine and taping table.

The increase in the tax rate if both propositions pass is 20.73 cents per $100 valuation.

Cost: $19.2 million, in two propositions.

Priority 1, $11.8 million, for new elementary classrooms and gymnasium, and enclosing the high school campus.

Priority 2, $7.4 million, for a high school fieldhouse and athletic field plus an elementary playground.

Axtell ISD’s website did not include information on how the bond issue would affect the tax rate.

Meanwhile, Robinson Independent School District has started a facility evaluation committee that could result in a bond proposal in a future election, school officials said this week.