Humble ISD Board Considering Bond Referendum

HUMBLE, TX — The citizens bond committee made their pitch to the Humble ISD Board of Trustees during the district’s monthly board meeting on Tuesday night.

The bond committee, comprised of residents, business leaders and community leaders, met on Sept. 28 for orientation and on Oct. 19, Nov. 6, Nov. 16, Dec. 4 and Dec. 14 for committee work.

Committee members were placed into groups to develop recommendations for possible bond packages that:

• Manage growth
• Serve all students
• Provide equitable school experiences for students districtwide
• Maintain existing campuses and make repairs
• Protect instruction by using bond funds, rather than operations funds, for repairs and renovations
• Build excitement and sustain community pride in schools
• Remain fiscally responsible to district taxpayers and attractive to all areas of the community

On Nov. 16, the committee was divided into eight groups. Each group developed a unique bond package.

These eight groups were merged into four groups on Dec. 4, with four possible bond packages developed.

These four groups were merged into two groups on Dec. 14 with two possible bond packages.

Connie Chandler, a former Humble ISD teacher, who served on the committee, made the initial presentation outlining the requirements of the committee and the needs of the district.

“The committees commission…was to manage the growth,” Chandler said. “We all know that we’ve had a lot of growth in this school district, and it’s not over. We’re still growing.”

Both plans included:

• Additions of a new elementary school campus and a middle school campus
• A second transportation center on the north end of the district
• Upgrades at Humble High School and Atascocita High School
• New turf for the high school playing fields
• The replacementment of Kingwood Middle School and Lakeland Middle School
• Adding wood floors to all middle school gyms
• Adding multipurpose rooms to elementary schools
• Renovations to Charles Street Stadium
• Technology upgrades
• Rebuild the Kingwood area ag barn
• LGI and Career Technology investments/expansion ($40 Million)

Robert Scarfo, a former board trustee who served on the committee, said many of the buildings that need to be replaced are needed to keep the district attractive to potential parents moving to the district.

Humble ISD could finance up to a $600 million building, repair, and renovation program extended over a six-year period without increasing the debt service tax rate.

It is the recommendation of the Humble ISD Administration that the district will not sell bonds until value growth and payments toward existing debt allow the district to do so without raising the debt service tax rate (35 cents per $100 property valuation).

Meanwhile, Laurie Toomey, who spoke before the bond presentation, appealed to trustees to consider adding a natatorium to the package, which was not included in any of the plans.

“It’s something that many in our community are in favor of,” she said.

Humble ISD is regarded as one of the top swimming communities in the area, boasting more than 3,000 students involved in summer swimming programs and 600 involved in year-round programs and 300 high school swimmers.

Toomey said while there are practice pools in Humble ISD, the district does not have a competition level pool, and compared the needs of swimmers to other sports needs.

With that, it’s possible the board could make adjustments to add a competition level natatorium if a bond referendum is recommended.

Trustees Keith Lapeze, who served on the last bond committee before being elected to the board of trustees in 2006, thanked the committee members for their dedication to Humble ISD.

“It was a lot of hard work and a lot of time that you spent; the work you put in is going to last decades,” Lapeze said.

The board of trustees will consider the bond proposals at the next scheduled meeting in February.

If the board recommends the bond, voters will cast ballots on May 5.

Details of the plans can be found on the Humble ISD website.

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