Three school bond proposals that each exceeded $1 billion have won approval in Texas.
Voters in two K-12 districts—Cypress-Fairbanks and Prosper—and the Dallas County Community College District approved massive bond requests over the weekend to pay for construction and renovation of school facilities.
The largest bond proposal on Saturday's Texas ballot was in the Cypress-Fairbanks district, the state's third-largest school system. Voters there approved a $1.76 billion bond proposal, The Houston Chronicle reports.
The unofficial tally show the bond passed with nearly 70% support — 10,499 votes for and 4,544 against.
The bonds will provide funding for a new performing arts center, Elementary School No. 59, Middle School No. 20, lockdown buttons and other improved security measures.
Other projects included in the construction program are $238 million in improved technological infrastructure, $968 million in facility renovations and relocation of Carpenter Center, and $88 million in transportation enhancements such as bus replacement cycles and improved routes.
The bonds are intended to pay for the Cypress-Fairbanks district's capital needs through 2025.
In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the fast-growing Prosper district won approval of a $1.3 billion bond package. The money will enable the district to build up to 16 more schools in the next five years to keep up with a burgeoning student population.
The district had 2,800 students in 2007; it now reports an enrollment of 14,632. By 2028, Prosper's enrollment projections say it will have more than 40,000 students.
Also in the Dallas region, voters gave approval to the Dallas County Community College District’s $1.1 billion request, The Dallas Morning News reports.
The money will be used to build a new El Centro campus in downtown Dallas and to pay for facilities to handle enrollment growth across the college district's seven campuses.
