SPRINGTOWN — On Feb. 10, in a special board meeting, the Springtown ISD board of trustees unanimously approved calling for a school bond election May 3.
The Springtown ISD Citizens’ Facility Advisory Committee is made up of 58 community members in Springtown who met eight times in the past five months to evaluate the district’s long- term facility needs and help create a plan and vision for these needs.
In January, the committee made a recommendation about long-term solutions for the district. That recommendation was presented to the SISD board.
“I want to take this time to thank our Citizens’ Facility Advisory Committee and our board of trustees for all the hard work that’s been put in for the last five months,” Strickland said. “The last community investment in Springtown ISD was nearly 20 years ago. Since then, the district has worked to care for our facilities to keep them up-to-date with current standards and make them accommodate the needs of our students, staff and teachers. But many of our facilities are reaching the end of their useful lives, bringing us to this point.”
Since Texas school districts don’t receive state funding for renovations or building new schools, districts receive funds through school bond elections. This bond will ask Springtown voters to consider this $98 million package in one proposition.
Proposition A will include a new elementary school, renovations to Springtown Elementary, a science and Career and Technology Education (CTE) addition to Springtown Middle School, upgraded CTE equipment and facilities, safety and security, and new buses. The number of buses purchased with funds from the May 2025 bond will depend on the cost of the buses at the time they are purchased or needed.
Springtown ISD has become one of the fastest-growth districts in the area, with recent growth outpacing what was projected a few years ago. The district’s enrollment has increased by 600 students in the last four years and is expected to gain another 400 students in the next four years.
In three years, the district projects it will be 135 seats short of what it needs throughout K-12 grades. Two of the district’s elementary schools are over their functional capacity and Springtown Intermediate School will be over its capacity within the next year.
If passed, the bond would give schools more seats, buildings and classrooms to accommodate all the growth.
“Others have realized what a great community Springtown is to live in and make their home. But the fact is that we are running out of room faster than we can act on right now,” Strickland said. “We have had to request waivers from the state for our overgrown classroom sizes in several areas. This bond package helps accommodate that growth at the elementary level and our Career and Technical Education at the middle school.”
In a press release, Springtown ISD pointed to the 2023 state legislative session that brought the largest property tax cut in Texas history. With the constricting of schools and the $100,000 homestead exemption cut school district property taxes for homeowners around the state.
If the bond garners the voters’ approval, the projected financial impact of the bond would be $12.78 a month on a home valued at $300,000 in the school district.
Since 2019, state law requires all bond propositions for school districts to have the phrase “This is a property tax increase” stated on ballots that have bond propositions. Homeowners 65 years of age and older who have filed for and received the Over 65 exemption will not see an increase on their frozen dollar amount.
The school district will begin providing Springtown citizens with voter education information on all areas concerning the 2025 bond package. Early voting will begin April 22 and end April 29; Election Day is Saturday, May 3.
“We want to make sure that our community is wellinformed with the facts about this bond proposal,” Strickland said. “The district has an obligation to fill by keeping our voters informed about only the facts and that these bond funds will only be used on the projects identified in this bond package and on the ballot. We will be reaching out by phone, mail, digitally, and on social media to inform all our voters about the facts before they go to the polls in April and May.”
For more information about the 2025 bond project and when voting locations will be available, go to the district’s website at SpringtownISDBond2025.net.
