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(Photo/Alex Kielar) A car drove in the Homecoming parade Wednesday, Sept. 17 showing support for the Breckenridge ISD bond that will be on the ballot for the November election. -
(Photo/Alex Kielar) Jacob Cornwall passed out flyers during the Homecoming parade Wednesday, Sept. 17, with information about the bond proposition that will be on the ballot in the November election. Cornwall and his wife Kelsey are on the Facilities Planning Committee that recommended the bond to the school board.
The November election is quickly approaching and Breckenridge residents will need to make sure that they are registered to vote in order to head to the polls.
The last day to register to vote is Monday, Oct. 6 and residents will be able to vote for or against the Breckenridge Independent School District bond that will be on the ballot. If you are unsure if you are registered to vote or need to register, go to votetexas.gov.
The Breckenridge ISD Board of Trustees unanimously voted to hold a bond election this November after months of work done by the Facilities Planning Committee–made up of district staff, parents and community members.
The focus of the bond is improving learning environments for students districtwide. The committee reviewed all BISD campuses and identified challenges and areas of concern.
Ultimately, the BISD school board selected between two options recommended by the committee, and the one they approved was a $39 million bond for the construction of a new Pre-K through fifth grade elementary school at the current South Elementary location.
The new school would be approximately 80,000 square feet, designed to provide flexible and modern learning spaces, meeting current educational standards.
“It will feature new academic classrooms, a gymnasium for physical education classes, a cafeteria, upgraded technology infrastructure and enhanced safety and security measures,” BISD Superintendent Prairie Freeman said in a video explaining the bond. “This project also includes campus paving and traffic circulation improvements to make arrival and dismissal safer and more efficient.”
During construction of the new elementary school, the current south elementary school building would stay open and house students. The existing building would then be demolished following completion of the project to make way for the new campus.
The proposition language to appear on the ballot as required by state law will be: “This is a property tax increase. The issuance of not to exceed $39,000,000 of bonds by the Breckenridge Independent School District for the design, construction, rehabilitation, renovation, expansion, improvement, acquisition and equipment of school facilities given to a new pre-kindergarten through 5th grade elementary school, and the levying of a tax sufficient to pay the principal of and interests on the bonds and the cost of any credit agreements executed in connection with the bonds.”
The school district is also committing $5,573,332 out of its fund balance above the $39 million bond amount to ensure the project can be fully funded.
“This represents a significant local investment in the future of our schools and community,” Freeman said. “As always, our goal is to provide the very best learning environment for our students while being responsible stewards of taxpayer resources.”
Early voting will take place Monday, Oct. 20 through Friday, Oct. 31 at a yet to be determined polling location.
Election Day occurs Tuesday, Nov. 4, with voting from 7 a.m. through 7 p.m.
BISD has also implemented a dedicated webpage with all the necessary information on the bond. It can be found at https://breckenridgeisdbond.dudasites.com or by clicking “2025 Bond” on the top menu of the BISD website.
