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Ten years ago, Silsbee ISD voters passed a bond that included a new Silsbee Elementary School campus. Now, voters will be asked to decided on a $84.5 million bond referendum that includes a new middle school, a high school career and technical building, ag barn, renovations and other proposed projects as Silsbee ISD trustees unanimously approved placing a bond referendum to be included on the Nov. 7 election ballot.
According to Kelsey Johnson, director of Communications for SISD, the proposed bond was developed through the collaborative efforts of the superintendent, campus administration and the Facilities Advisory Committee (FAC), “a distinguished task force composed of campus administration, classroom teachers, community leaders and business owners.” The FAC was tasking with a mission to identify the district’s needs and present a comprehensive plan to the Board of Trustees.
“Working with our Facility Advisory Committee throughout this process has been a great experience. Our collaborative efforts have been instrumental in identifying and refining capital improvement projects for our bond referendum,” explained Superintendent Dr. Gregg Weiss. “We are excited to present this opportunity for our community to vote.”
Over the course of one year, district administration has been planning to identify the scope of work for the bond project. The FAC undertook an extensive process that involved facility tours, needs analysis and assessments of current facility requirements.
The most significant components of the proposed bond projects are reported as:
• Safety and Security updates to protect students and staff across multiple campuses.
• Construction of a new EdwardsJohnson Memorial Silsbee Middle School to provide state-of-the-art facilities which will include a competition gymnasium, a new ag facility, band hall, and four lane track. Reconfiguration of grades to include only 7th and 8th grade students.
• Renovating Laura Reeves Primary School into an intermediate campus to house 4th, 5th and 6th grade students. Pre-K and Kindergarten will relocate to Silsbee Elementary.
• Construction of a Career and Technical Education Building at Silsbee High School, preparing students for realworld opportunities. The building will include floral design, technology, culinary, robotics and nursing.
• Updates to the softball and baseball complex, including the installation of turf fields and drainage improvements.
• Resurfacing of tennis courts and addressing longtime drainage issues.
• Construction of a new agriculturial barn.
The FAC presented its formal recommendation to trustees during the Aug. 8 board meeting.
Texas school districts do not receive state funding for renovating or building new schools. Instead, they must receive funds through school bond elections.
If Silsbee ISD voters pass the bond in November, the estimated impact would be $7.68 per month on a home valued at $150,000, according to Johnson.
In 2019, Texas Legislators passed a new law as part of House Bill 3 that requires all bond propositions for any school district to have the phrase “THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE’’ on all ballot language for bond propositions. Due to this requirement, all voters will see this statement on the official ballot language, even if the tax dollar amount is frozen and will not exceed the tax ceiling.
Homeowners aged 65 and older will not be impacted by the passage of the bond propositions if they have filed for and received the Over 65 Homestead Exemption with the Hardin County Appraisal District.
For more details about the Silsbee ISD Bond, visit silsbeeisd.org/bond2023. Weiss noted that the website will be regularly updated with additional information and resources as it becomes available.
“I want our community to know that we will continue to communicate with everyone about the bond proposal,” Weiss said. “They will be receiving lots of factual information from us over the next few weeks.”
Early voting is set for Oct. 23 through Nov. 3.