$35 million Springtown ISD bond election

North Parker County residents asked to pay for new district facilities again

Galen Scott

gscott@weatherforddemocrat.com

If voters say ‘yes’ to $35 million in new taxes May 10, Springtown ISD promises to build a third elementary school, more intermediate and high school classrooms and a long-awaited student events complex.

District administrators say the new facilities and renovations are necessary in order to accommodate current students, and to deal future growth expected to take place in much of Parker County.

The new elementary school would provide for approximately 600 students and relieve heavy traffic associated with two existing elementary campuses, according to Springtown Assistant Superintendent Mike Gilley.

“The elementary school is going to alleviate a lot of the traffic we have around what I guess you would call the in-town school,” Gilley said. “We have basically 725 students at what was the old high school back in the ‘60s.”

A third elementary school would allow the district to transition all three campuses into prekindergarten-fourth grade curriculum. Currently, pre-k and kindergarten students attend Watson Elementary, while students in first grade through fourth grade go to Springtown Elementary.

According to Gilley, a more-or-less equal number of pre-k through fourth grade students will attend each of the three campuses if voters approve the bond May 10.

A proposal to construct the new elementary school failed as part of a bond package presented in 2005 — the district’s most recent bond election.

Two out of four proposals — about $12 million of the $32.4 million bond — were approved in 2005. The approved proposals included funds needed to purchase the future elementary school property, along with money for improvements at the high school.

Gilley said much of the necessary infrastructure is already in place at the proposed elementary school location, about halfway between the high school and middle school campuses.

“We purchased some property just west of town. It will be along where the county is now putting in a road that will tie [State Highway 199] over to Pojo Drive and the complex,” Gilley explained.

One of the failed prongs of the district’s 2005 effort consisted of a student events complex. Springtown administrators hope voters will be more generous this time around.

“It’s pretty much the same thing,” Gilley said of the complex, which would be built on approximately 30 district-owned acres south of the middle school between Pojo Drive and Hollbrook Road.

“It’s still the 8-lane track, the stadium, the baseball and softball fields, and it also throws in an agriculture complex.”

District advocates Youth and Education for Springtown (YES) say the present stadium has outlived its usefulness to students and the community. The group claims the current track, consisting of seven lanes, makes it impossible to host sports district track meets, which require eight.

“More than 1,100 students in band, football, baseball, soccer, softball, track, cheerleading, flag corps and drill team will use the complex as a performance area,” according to YES.

In addition to the elementary school and events complex, the 2008 Springtown ISD bond election would provide for the construction of eight new high school classrooms. Renovations and improvements at the district’s middle and intermediate schools are also proposed.

One contested school district board seat is included on May 10 Springtown ISD ballots. Incumbent Amy Walker and challenger Larry Don Carter are running for the board’s Place 5 position.

Early voting for the May 10 election is scheduled to end today.

With more than 3,500 students in its care, Springtown is the third largest district in Parker County, behind Weatherford and Aledo.