(Seguin) — The Seguin ISD is asking voters to make a $138.5 million investment in the future of the district. Voters will be deciding on two bond propositions during Tuesday’s election. Seguin ISD Superintendent Matthew Gutierrez says the district is growing at a rapid rate, and many of these improvements will help the district keep pace with the growth that’s here and the growth that’s expected to come.
“More than half of the new developments in Seguin are in our own school district and what we are starting to see, and we’ve seen as this new school year has started is that new families are coming into the school district and our enrollment has increased over last year. We also have to keep in mind that we did experience a dip as a result of COVID, but we are seeing new students come in from surrounding areas and from other states as well,” said Gutierrez.
Dr. Gutierrez says the projects on the ballot all work to enhance the learning opportunities available throughout the district. The projects call for some new construction and major renovations at some campuses. He says it also calls for some major security upgrades at each campus. He says the Seguin ISD has done a good job of making its schools more secure, but he says the tragic elementary school shooting in Uvalde points to the fact that more needs to be done to keep students and teachers safe. That’s why the bond package calls for $15 million in security upgrades to be made districtwide. Many of the proposed security upgrades came directly from feedback from the community. Gutierrez says the public has made it clear that it wants more to be done to keep schools safe.
“Part of this would include fencing. One of the items that rose to the top in that thought exchange and with that Safety Task Force was really looking at the fencing surrounding the perimeters of our buildings. Most of our buildings have some type of fencing but we do realize that we need to enhance that at either additional fencing or increase the height of fencing and that would come at a cost because we are talking about 13 facilities across the district. On top of that, we would be looking at enhancements with technology in the form of camera upgrades and additional cameras in the interior and exterior of our buildings and the needed technology to support that,” said Gutierrez.
There security upgrades would also call for the purchase for some additional high tech equipment that will help to deter people from attempting to brings weapons into school facilities.
“So, that would be one thing we are looking at is to really have that weapon detection in place in high traffic areas which of course the high school entry way, a football game, a band concert because those are well attended. We would also be looking at additional keyless entry points into our existing facilities and more. There are certainly more but we realize that just the fencing and the weapon detection alone would add up to millions of dollars, but it is something that our community feels strongly about and that we believe would be beneficial. There is no real magic answer, but we are looking at taking every proactive measure possible to prevent a tragedy here in Seguin ISD,” said Gutierrez.
One of the big projects will be $54 million for the construction of a new campus to replace the existing McQueeney Elementary School. Gutierrez says this project is long overdue. He says it address an aging and outdated facility, while also increasing the district’s capacity at the elementary level.
“We are looking at the new McQueeney Elementary which would have a different name because it wouldn’t be in McQueeney being able to accommodate about 800 students because what we are finding is that it’s quite costly to have these small schools with 300 students – the operational cost is significant and it would be more fiscally responsible and efficient to be able to have an elementary school that can accommodate 800 students and it would also allow us to accommodate additional students during a time when we are needing to either replace Weinert or finish the construction at Jefferson Elementary,” said Gutierrez.
The bond package calls for significant renovations and additions to be made at Barnes Middle School. Just over $24 million would be invested into Barnes. Gutierrez says it will improve learning on the campus and also address the significant traffic problems that exist at both Barnes Middle School and at nearby Koennecke Elementary School.
“We would be looking at 14 additional classrooms. We would be looking at additional classrooms to be able to incorporate additional career and technical education courses at Barnes as well as additional classrooms for the fine arts. Currently, for example, our mariachi class is meeting in a portable and so that is not conducive to learning music at all,” said Gutierrez.
It will also address the need for more classrooms at Barnes, and to make sure it could handle the additional growth that’s coming in that area.
“It would also allow us to increase the capacity at Barnes to closer to 1,000 students which would buy us more time before we would need to consider a third middle school. With the new construction that is happening at A.J. Briesemeister, we are increasing the capacity of that campus to about 1,000 as well. So, this would allow us in a fast-growing district to be able to hold off on considering a third middle school for another number of years and allow us to accommodate additional families who are choosing the Seguin ISD as their home,” said Gutierrez.
If the bonds are approved by voters, it would provide $7.5 million for the construction of a new baseball and softball complex at Seguin High School. Gutierrez says this would finish out all of the work that needs to be done at the school. The bond package also calls for nearly $9 million to build the district first-ever Agricultural Science facility. Gutierrez says this will growth their existing ag science program. He says right now there are limitations to the programs if students can’t find a place to store feed or to house their animals. He says this will not only support the students already enrolled in the district’s ag programs, but it will create opportunities that will allow students to be exposed to agriculture at a very early age.
“There are also students who have an interest in participating in Ag Science who are unable to do so because they do not have the space and so we are shutting those students down and I think that we all realize that many kids come to school and excel because they are connected to a program whether it.s football, whether it’s JROTC, or band – it’s important that we have a diverse group of programs that our students can be a part of but this would also allow us to begin to generate interest as early as pre-k because this facility could be a learning space for all students from pre-k on to high school and can just be woven into our science curriculum at all levels and this facility seems to be exciting for many people in our community and I think that is because it is something that we have not had, something that is really part of educating a student in most districts and we have just not had the luxury of having our own Ag facility in our own backyard,” said Gutierrez.
Gutierrez says the bond projects are all important to the district’s future. He says they were thoughtfully put together by the district’s bond committee and then recommended by the Seguin ISD Board of Trustees. He says the tax impact will also be offset by the fact that the district was recently able to lower its overall tax rate.
“What we are looking at is a two-cent tax increase per $100 valuation so what would that look like? If you have $100,000 home, that would be about a $20 annual increase to you tax bill. If you have a $250,000 home, that would be about a $50 increase to your annual tax bill. However, if you are over 65, you would not be impacted because you would fall under the over 65 homestead exemption. But I also want our community to realize that our tax rate just decreased by almost four cents,” said Gutierrez.
Dr. Gutierrez stresses that facilities matter. He says all you have to do is look at the major changes made at Seguin High School, once the new campus was built. He says it’s improved the overall number of programs offered and improved the overall learning experience for students at SHS. He says Bond 22 will help the district expand those opportunities and enhancements across the entire district.
“Every day, we work diligently to ensure that our students are set up for success. Many of those students are going to remain in Seguin or come back to Seguin and continue to invest in the future and what is important to know is that the facilities play such an important role in educating students and what I’ve seen happen at the high school over the past five years, has truly been transformational to how our students are learning,” said Gutierrez.
Seguin ISD voters today will also be making a decision in the District 7 school board race. Candidates challenging Incumbent Glenda Moreno are Josh Bright and Steve Turner.
Seguin Radio KWED will be providing live election coverage as soon as the polls close today at 7 p.m. Results will also be made available at SeguinToday.com.