Voters in the Brookesmith Independent School District will have the opportunity in May to vote on a proposed $9.95 million bond for improvements to school facilities.  Bob Contreras, Public Relations Director for the District issued the following statement:

“At a called meeting of the Board of Trustees held on February 8, the Brookesmith ISD Board of Trustees conducted a meeting to consider calling a school building bond election.  Members of the community participated in the meeting, and various District needs were discussed.  The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to adopt an order calling a school building bond election for May 7, 2022.  There will be a single ballot measure seeking voter approval of $9,950,000 school building bonds.  If approved, the bonds may be used for various projects throughout the District, such as new HVAC equipment, campus renovations and improvements, acquisition of land and a possible football/track and athletic complex.”

Prior to the February 8 Board meeting, the school district held several meetings of local citizens to identify and prioritize the needs of the District.   The citizen’s committee ultimately recommended two bond proposals:  one of $4 million to pay for a variety of improvements to the existing campus, including new HVAC units in the school building and the gymnasium, a remodeled cafetorium, paved parking lot, new windows, a renovated Ag Shop, renovated restrooms, and renovations and updates to infrastructure and technology; and a second bond of $5.6 million for a new athletic track and football stadium.

The Board of Trustees, however, opted to combine the two into one bond proposal, citing concerns about confusion with two bonds, and more flexibility in spending within a single bond.

At one of the citizen’s meetings, John Blackburn with Live Oak Public Finance, which will be handling the bond issue for the District, estimated that if the bond passes, the property tax rate will increase to about 21.8-cents per $100 of valuation.  On an average property within the District, that would add about $127 per year in taxes.

Blackburn also pointed out that this is a unique opportunity to improve facilities within the District because of the IP Radian solar farm project currently under construction within the bounds of the District.  Taxes on the solar project would pay for approximately 38% of the cost of the bonds.

Other needs that had been discussed, such as new school buses and lighting for the parking lot, can be paid for in the District operating budget, according to Superintendent Steve Mickelson.  The District is expecting to receive a one-time payment of about $2 million from IP Radian in January 2023, and then $50,000 annually for fifteen years.

The Brookesmith ISD currently has 145 students, with approximately 50-60 of those students transferred in.  According to the Brown County Elections Office, there are 608 registered voters within the Brookesmith ISD.