Keller ISD Asks Voters to Approve $828 Million Bond for Aging Schools in Nov. 3 Election

Keller ISD voters will decide on Nov. 3 whether to approve an $828 million bond package that district leaders say is needed to repair aging campuses. Early voting runs through Oct. 30.

The package is split into five propositions totaling $828,107,815, and each will be voted on separately. It is the district's first bond proposal since 2019.

Teachers say the problems are tangible. Lisa Dixon, an eighth-grade history teacher at Hillwood Middle School, said her classroom air conditioning stopped working entirely in February and was still unresolved when the school year began in August. When she returned in July, the room was 87 degrees. "I believe our students and teachers deserve safe, functional schools," she told trustees in August.

Proposition A, at $756.3 million, is the largest. It would cover upkeep, repair and renovation at 34 campuses, including new heating and cooling systems, roofs, plumbing, electrical equipment and safety and security upgrades. It would also partly rebuild Keller Middle School, parts of which date to 1966 and which has more than 20 entries and exits that Superintendent Cory Wilson said make it hard to keep safe. Major renovations at Central, Fossil Ridge and Timber Creek high schools are also included.

Proposition B ($28 million) would buy tablets, laptops and other devices. The district now spends about $6 million a year from its general fund on technology. Proposition C ($8.9 million) would repair the natatorium, which closed over the summer because of equipment failures. Proposition D ($11 million) would fund repairs at the Keller ISD Athletics Complex and renovations to the Keller High School Fieldhouse. Proposition E ($23.9 million) would install artificial grass at middle school fields and high school baseball and softball fields.

Wilson said many schools were built between 2000 and 2010, and their major building systems are reaching or passing their expected lifespans. Some classrooms have hit 90 degrees, and outdated plumbing has caused sewage backups that limit restroom access at some campuses. The district spends about $1 million a year renting temporary spot coolers. At the Aug. 27 board meeting, Deputy Superintendent John Allison said 650 air-conditioning repair requests were open at the start of the year, down to about 380 by then. "Spot coolers will help reduce the temperature in the room," he said. "They are not a replacement for HVAC."

A Citizens Bond Advisory Committee of more than 65 parents, students, staff, business owners and residents developed the package over the first six months of the year. Trustee Chris Coker, who is seeking reelection, cast the lone vote against placing it on the ballot. "My issue is not with the bond," he said. "In general, my issue is with the amount of the bond." He argued voters might back a $200 million to $300 million measure focused on urgent repairs but reject the larger sum. Wilson said Texas law requires technology, natatoriums and athletic facilities to appear as separate propositions, and that related building work is grouped to be done more efficiently.

Officials say the bonds can be repaid without raising the tax rate. Trustees set it in September at $1.052 per $100 of taxable value, which the district says is its lowest in 38 years. Wilson said rising property values and retiring bond debt create room to cover the new borrowing. If approved, a citizens oversight committee would monitor spending, and projects would start in 2027 on a staggered schedule over about three to five years.

If voters reject some or all of the propositions, Wilson said, maintenance would continue to come out of the operating budget that also pays salaries and student services. He did not say which projects would take priority if Proposition A failed, but said construction costs rise at least 6% a year and that acting now could save close to $50 million.