JISD bond passes

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Tricia Wardell, right, watches her husband, JISD Superintendent Dr. Joe Wardell, react to the news that the JISD school bond passed Tuesday night. Photo courtesy JISD

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November 2, 2010

Lauren LaFleur Jacksonville Daily Progress The Jacksonville Daily Progress Tue Nov 02, 2010, 11:46 PM CDT

JACKSONVILLE — Students in Jacksonville Independent School District will see some much-needed improvements on their campuses in the next few years, thanks to passage of a $50 million bond — 2,175 voted for the bond, and 1,675 voted against.

“I think it’s great — I think it says the community supports what the schools are doing,” said JISD Superintendent Dr. Joe Wardell.

He said although it will be mid to late January before bonds are sold, the district will begin calling architects Wednesday to set up appointments and begin laying thr groundwork for bond money improvements in the district.

The bond will help build a new East Side Elementary on the current school’s site, a new Joe Wright Elementary on district-owned land on U.S. 175, and renovations and additions to Fred Douglass Elementary and Jacksonville High School.

The district estimates $21.4 million of the bond will be paid by state and federal funding.

However the remainder of the balance of the bond will cost the owner of an average home in JISD approximately $11.51 per month in additional taxes. The only exception being senior citizen homestead school taxes, which would not see an increase.

A tax rate calculator is available at www.jisd.org for those interested in what their tax rates will be now that the bond issue passed.

A facilities committee was formed to help the district determine the greatest needs in the district.

JISD explained in literature published before the election that the proposed bond monies will be divided as follows:

$16.7 million, or 33 percent of the total, would build the new Joe Wright

$16.7 million, or 33 percent, would build the new East Side

$12 million, 24 percent, would be earmarked for the high school in order to build eight new science labs, a new dining/kitchen area, hallways to connect the campus’s buildings, an renovate the existing dining hall into a new band hall

$4.5 million, 9 percent, would be used at Fred Douglass to build a new cafeteria, renovate the existing cafeteria into classrooms, and enlarge the existing library

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JISD bond passes

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