Aledo ISD Board of Trustees approve bond proposal

The Aledo Growth Committee presented their final draft of a $123.8 million bond proposal to the Aledo ISD Board of Trustees during a special meeting on Monday, Feb. 12.

The board approved the proposal unanimously, 5-0. If approved by voters in the May 6 election, the bond issue will increase property taxes 2.5 cents per $100 of taxable property value.

“This has been one of the most amazing committees to work with as far as dedication, just diving into the data, and asking, ‘what does the community want? What do the kids want;’ and coming up with a recommendation,” AGC co-chair Kelli Stumbo said. “There’s a sense of pride when you get to build something like that and see that you’ve been able to present it for others to see the same importance. We’ve put in a lot of hours. We’ve learned so much. It’s just nice to see it all come to fruition.”

Based on property assessment data presented to the AGC back in August when the group began meeting, the average homeowner in Aledo will pay an extra $89.76 in taxes the next two years to fund the interest and sinking (I&S) side of the ISD’s budget that covers debt service payments for large projects.

Over the last five years the overall tax rate for homeowners residing inside Aledo ISD has fallen 22.71 cents due to tax compression on the maintenance and operations (M&O) side of the budget as rates have decreased from $1.595 to $1.3679 per $100 of taxable property value.

All the information the AGC, which is comprised of more than 50 resident volunteers living within Aledo ISD, has worked from since the group began meeting back in August can be found online at aledoisd.org/AGC.

“I always say that this is the start,” AGC co-chair Dan Reilley said after the meeting. “It feels like graduation day from high school, but you’re starting college next week. What we’ve done is recommend something, and now it’s our obligation to make sure the community understands the what and the why. That’s the next step.”

So, why is this bond necessary and what are taxpayers getting for their dollars?

The primary reason behind it is the necessity of dealing with the growing student population within Aledo ISD. The latest demographic projections supplied to the AGC in January 2023 shows five of six elementary schools in Aledo will exceed capacity by the 2024-25 school year. The AGC felt a seventh elementary school was vital in order to keep classrooms from growing too large and taking a negative toll on the education of students.

If the bond is approved, construction for Elementary No. 7 will begin later this year on property the ISD already owns next to the new McAnally Middle School on Old Weatherford Road. Construction will take about a year with doors of the 107,500 square-foot facility ready to open at the beginning of school in the fall of 2024.

The $59.8 million building will expand the district’s capacity by 889 students in grades K-5. Previous projections for the building had a price tag of $66 million. However, once it was decided what property would be used for the new elementary school, the engineers determined less dirt work will be necessary than previously supplied in their estimates. Following discussions with staff at the other elementary schools, the architects were also able to streamline the floor design for the new building, which allowed them to further cut costs by shrinking the square footage of the facility.

Included in the bond package is $25.2 million for improvements and updates to Aledo High School and the Daniel Ninth Grade campus. Another $17.8 million is earmarked for the purchase of land that will quickly be put to use as demographic projections anticipate the district exceeding middle school capacities by the 2027-28 school year and the high school following right behind during the 2028-29 academic year.

Another $21 million will be used to update technology and security measures at each campus, replace 50% of the bus fleet that has higher miles along with wear and tear, and to make some of the long list of maintenance improvements across the district.

“I just want to reiterate to the community that this is just step one,” Reilley said with regard to dealing with the continued growth projected over the next several years. “This is a multi-phased approach. We have a path going forward. This is only the first step.”

Aledo is not alone in feeling these growing pains of being a rapidly expanding community. As the entire Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex continues to grow at a rapid pace along with the surrounding communities, several other districts in the area have either just passed bonds or are currently working to pass bonds of their own.

For example, Decatur ISD just approved a bond proposal for May as well. With their high school at 108% of capacity, and their middle school population at a staggering 145% of capacity, the proposed bond will raise taxes for property owners by 24.63 cents per $100 of taxable value.

Likewise, Bridgeport ISD finds itself in a similar situation. The district just announced a bond election scheduled for May, as well, where residents will decide on a 29.33 cent increase in taxes levied against each $100 of taxable value for property owners.