(Seguin) — Seguin ISD’s future will officially lie in the hands of voters this November.
The Seguin ISD Board of Trustees during a special meeting Thursday unanimously approved a $138.5 million Nov. 8 bond referendum to address the district’s aging facilities and to prepare for future growth. The price tag is $3 million more than the $135 million figure announced by the district last month.
Seguin ISD Superintendent Matthew Gutierrez says most of that increase is in response to the dollars needed to cover the cost of new safety and security measures throughout the district.
“Obviously at front and center and in light of what happened in Uvalde, a location that is very close to our community and so safety and security is a priority within this bond referendum and so over the course of the last couple of months, we’ve had the opportunity to meet with about 30 stakeholders who really helped us revisit and evaluate our current protocols. They gave us new ideas and fresh perspectives that have allowed us to outline some of the needs that we have. We feel like we have really good solid protocols in place that we have practiced with our schools and in conjunction with our local law enforcement but there are still additional needs in the form of technology and the form of additional fencing, safe and secure entrances in other locations, weapon detection and so much more and so ultimately, we determined that the need exceeded the $10 million that was originally allocated for safety and security and we fortunately were able to go with $15 million thanks to our board of trustees’ support,” said Gutierrez.
Dr. Gutierrez says the proposed bond package represents a significant investment in the district’s facilities — offering upgrades to aging buildings, improving campus security, and offering new programs and features throughout the district.
If the bonds are approved, Dr. Gutierrez says they will have a relatively small impact on the wallets of local taxpayers.
“I want our community to think about the future of Seguin and the investment in our students and if you look at a $250,000 home, we are estimating a two-cent increase per $100 valuation that would come out to an annual basis of $50. But keep in mind that when we went out to taxpayers back in 2019, we had shared that we were looking at a five-cent tax increase, well Seguin is exploding with growth and ultimately, we increased by 2.5 cents and so right now conservatively estimating, we are looking at that two cent increase but we must keep in mind that Seguin is growing,” said Gutierrez.
The bond package will be presented in two propositions. Proposition A includes a new McQueeney Elementary School, additions and renovations to Jim Barnes Middle School, an agricultural science facility, school safety and security enhancements, and other districtwide projects.
Proposition B is for a baseball and softball complex at Seguin High School.
Dr. Gutierrez says all the projects are important to the district’s future. He says planning for growth is something that the district must continue to do.
“We feel strongly that many of our facilities need upgrades, and not only do we have aging facilities but we have to accommodate for growth as well. As many of you are aware of when you drive almost anywhere, you see new developments and the needs far exceed what we are asking for but there is a limit to where we can go and thanks to a facilities committee, they helped to prioritize the direction for this bond package that is at $138.5 million,” said Gutierrez.
District officials say they hope to begin spreading the word as soon as possible, and they are looking forward to sharing the details behind each of the proposed projects.
“We will be going out into the community and doing face to face presentations so many organizations will be getting invitations and if you have an organization that would like us to go and present to share more about Bond 2022, you may certainly contact the district so that we can have that opportunity to educate and inform,” said Gutierrez.
Again, the bond election will be held on Tuesday, November 8. The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 8 bond election is Oct. 11.
Candidates are starting to lineup for Seguin City Council seats that will be on the ballot during the November 8 general election.