Bond Proposal Approved by Central ISD Board of Trustees

POLLOK, Texas — The Central Independent School District Board of Trustees approved calling a School Bond Election for May 3, 2025.

A Citizens Committee comprised of a diverse group of Central ISD community members and leaders met to re-evaluate the bond package after the May 2024 bond vote. A recommendation utilizing their various perspectives was then made to the CISD Board of Trustees in January.

Because construction costs increase by as much as 10 percent each year, the cost of these projects increases each year they are delayed, which costs Central ISD taxpayers even more money to fund the projects. 

“We’ve taken the time to go back and listen to our community and our advisors, and we believe now is the right time to present this package again to our voters,” Superintendent Justin Risner said. “The longer these projects are pushed down the road, the more expensive it gets. The 2025 Bond helps address our aging buildings and district safety issues affecting all Central ISD students.”

Texas school districts do not receive state funding for renovating or building new schools. Instead, they must receive funds through school bond elections. The 2025 Bond will ask voters to consider a $33 million package in one proposition.

Proposition A addresses the high school and junior high with new secure entryways and connects the two buildings by adding an additional structure complete with CISD police offices, a nurse’s station, training staff, and waiting areas. This will be centrally located between the two buildings and help eliminate safety issues. Bond 2025 also includes a Career and Technical Education Center and band hall addition and improved parking and traffic flow around the junior high and high school campuses to alleviate congestion during drop-off and pickup times.

The additional CTE Center will allow for more career classes in health science, plumbing, welding, and law enforcement.

Prop A also addresses parking and traffic flow at the elementary school, as well as new restrooms and custodial additions. Bulldog Gymnasium will also receive upgrades and additions to the existing building and address safety issues with a new concourse, seating, locker rooms, and office space. The expansion of the Special Services building will also be addressed with bond funds.

If paid for by bond funds, these repairs would help make school buildings more energy efficient and lower operating costs – allowing the district to allocate its annual maintenance and operations funds back into the classroom for other items like teacher salaries and student programs.

“This bond allows us to not only address our aging buildings but also safety issues around the district,” Risner said. “We have around 900 kids going in and out of 12 different buildings at any given point in time during a normal school day. If passed, this bond will help solve some of those safety concerns for the district.”

The 2023 legislative session delivered the largest property tax cut in Texas history. The combination of compression and the $100,000 homestead exemption cut school district property taxes for homeowners around the state.

If passed, the estimated financial impact of the bond would be $14.91 a month on a home valued at $150,000 in Central ISD with a homestead exemption.

The current legislative session could also pass a new compression and additional homestead, lowering the future estimated impact of the bond if it passes.

Since 2019, state law 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. If the bond is passed, homeowners 65 years of age and older who have filed for and received the Over 65 exemption will not see an increase over their frozen dollar amount as long as they make no major improvements. Check your most recent Notice of Assessed Value Change to see if your school district taxes will be impacted.

The district will begin providing the community with voter education information about all areas surrounding the 2025 bond package.

“We are obligated as good stewards to keep our voters informed about only the facts surrounding this bond,” Risner said. “These bond funds will only be used on the projects identified in this bond package and on the ballot. We will be reaching out by phone, mail, digital, and social media to inform all our voters about the facts before they go to the polls in April and May.” 

More information about the bond projects and voting locations will be available on the district website.

To register to vote or to find out your registration status, call the Angelina County Elections Department at 936-634-7390, or visit the county elections website. The last day to register to vote in the May election is Thursday, April 3.

Early voting begins April 22 and ends April 29, and Election Day is Saturday, May 3