Prosper ISD voters consider $2.8 billion bond measure to keep up with "hypersonic growth"
PROSPER (CBSNewsTexas.com) — Prosper ISD voters are considering a $2.8 billion bond measure to build new schools, renovate older campuses, and build a new district-wide football stadium among other things.
It is all part of the Nov. 7 election, and Monday marked the first day of early voting.
New houses are continuing to pop up in Prosper ISD, and school district leaders say they need to keep up.
"We're in the middle of hypersonic growth," said Dr. Holly Ferguson, superintendent of the district. "In order to be ready for all the growth impact that is happening here, we have to be ready to build to provide high quality facilities for students and staff."
Ten years ago, the district had 6,413 students. Now, that number has leap-frogged to 28,197.
And 10 years from now, the district is projected to have 45,647 students.
Jim Bloom supports the bond measure and is among the parents who's helped plan for it. "I have a 9-year-old daughter and I would like her to have first class facilities from grade school through high school."
There are four propositions that make-up the bond.
Most of the money is for Prop A ($2.4 billion), which would include building 10 new schools, expanding and modernizing 12 existing campuses, safety and security, and buying land and buses.
If it doesn't pass, Supt. Ferguson told CBS News Texas that it will be devastating to students and teachers. "Right now, we have 134 portable classrooms in the district. There will be more portables that come in the event that voters don't approve this. We'll see teachers start leaving and we'll see families start leaving the area."
The district's communications director, Rachel Trotter, said that the long-term goal is for the district to stop using portable classrooms altogether but that depending on growth, it will take a while before all of them are gone.
Prop B ($140 million) would allow the district to upgrade technology for students and teachers.
Another part of the bond is Prop C, which would include the building of the second district-wide stadium for all the high schools at a cost of $95 million—a record amount for a school district in Texas.
It would seat 8,000 spectators and would be similar to the facility that the district opened in 2019.
Prop C would also spend $7.5 million to renovate the turf and track at the district's other existing stadiums.
Prop D ($125 million) is for a performing arts center.
Aileen Blachowski, who resides in the area, doesn't send her students to the district's schools. "I am opposed to all four measures on the bond."
She told CBS News Texas she believes the costs for the schools are simply too high. "We are growing at an unprecedented pace but so are other areas in Texas and they are able to build schools that provide learning environments that are perfectly suitable and that are at market rate. This is not a market rate. We can do better."
The superintendent said they have to account for inflation. "Prices we've never seen before; we are seeing now, and we have to be prepared for that."
For Jim Bloom, the bond makes sense in more ways than one. "It's going to help your home values, it's going to do the greater good for the community."
Early voting continues through Nov. 3.