School safety tops bond proposal

• Sheriff Carl Bowen, a distinguished 30-year law enforcement veteran, has declared his intent to run for reelection as the Sheriff of DeWitt County. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
• School safety tops bond proposal

When classes change nine times a day, Yorktown secondary students cross Highway 72, dodging 18-wheelers and heavy traffic, to get to their Ag and career classes at the building by the bus barn.

“This is a recipe for disaster,” Gerald Nixon, YISD superintendent, said. “It’s even more dangerous when the weather is bad.”

Withthe$20,000,000 bond election on the May 4 ballot, YISD’s purpose is “safety and security, aging facilities and infrastructure,” according to a district description of the proposal. “It will include one bond proposition that will fund major projects across the district.”

The highest priority is moving the CTE/ Ag Building to the main campus, Superintendent Nixon said, so students no longer have to cross the busy thoroughfare.

Other infrastructure goals are additional classrooms, band hall/ orchestra renovation, girls’ athletic facility upgrade and improved traffic flow to school buildings.

One option, Nixon said, would be acquiring residential property that is currently surrounded by campus to add educational buildings and make everything more secure.

The state now mandates that all campuses have secure fencing to limit outsider access. Having all school buildings in a central block without close proximity to residential yards “makes sense,” Nixon said.

TAX RATE

School districts have two categories of funds for tax rates: a) Maintenance and Operations and b) Interest and Sinking, which is debt service on capital improvements. Currently, Yorktown has no debt service, so the bond from 2012 has been paid off.

Due to the state legislature using surplus funds to lower property taxes, school districts saw property taxes decrease last year. Yorktown ISD had a $.16 decrease from a rate of $.85 in 2022 to $.69 in 2023.

The bond issue would add $.12 to the tax rate to approximately $.81, and it would continue to be one of the lowest rates among county districts.

According to the district presentation “the estimated impact would be $3 per month ($18 compared to $15) for a homestead valued at $126,329 (average assessed home valuation in Yorktown ISD).”

VOTING

Early voting begins Monday, April 22 and goes through Tuesday, April 30, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the YISD Administration office, 331 Main St. On Saturday, May 4, the polling station will be the high school gym, 338 Main St., from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.