Spring Branch ISD Featured News

Based on complete but unofficial returns, voters in Spring Branch ISD have approved a $381.6 million bond referendum with 73 percent of the vote.

With 7 of 7 precincts reporting, unofficial returns show 9,941 district residents voting for the referendum’s Proposition A and 3,647 voting against it, and 9,780 district residents voting for the referendum’s Proposition B and 3,769 voting against it.

District voter approval follows a Feb. 7, 2022, call for a bond election by the seven-member Spring Branch ISD Board of Trustees, which voted unanimously for the $381.6 million bond election to appear on the May 7, 2022, ballot. The district does not expect any tax rate increase as a result of this bond election.

“For 75 years, our community has continuously invested in our students and our schools,” said SBISD Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jennifer Blaine. “Thanks to our voters, this bond package provides an opportunity to sustain that legacy for our current students and the generations to come, while moving us toward meeting our shared vision for a world-class CTE program and T-2-4 for Every Child.”

Proposition A will provide funding to rebuild the Guthrie Center, SBISD’s central CTE facility; and make CTE classroom, lab and facility improvements at Guthrie’s Agricultural Science Center, four SBISD high schools, six middle schools and two specialty campuses. The bond money also would fund CTE-related technology. Bond funds will also address identified district facility needs including additional classrooms at Valley Oaks Elementary and new building detention and code requirements put into place after Hurricane Harvey. Proposition A will also provide funding for lifecycle replacements of audio-visual (A/V) instructional tools districtwide.

Proposition B will provide funds to update and replace devices for secondary students districtwide, and devices for teachers districtwide.

“On behalf of the entire Board, I would like to thank not only our voters, but also the members of the CTE Task Force, CTE Long Range Facilities Committee and CTE Bond Advisory Committee, as well as the parents, staff, community members, business representatives, higher education representatives, and students who worked collectively to develop this vision,” said Chris Gonzalez, SBISD Board of Trustees President.

“In Spring Branch ISD, providing world-class CTE experiences for EVERY CHILD is a priority,” she continued. “These programs provide our students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to be future-ready, for both college AND a career. This bond proposal will provide improvements to the existing programs and learning spaces as well as give more students access to the exciting and enriching opportunities CTE provides.”

With bond approval, the Board of Trustees and district leaders are expected to act quickly to appoint a Bond Oversight Committee to ensure the bond projects remain faithful to the priorities identified in the 2022 Bond Plan, similar to the community groups that monitored the successful 2007 and 2017 Bond programs. Planning and design work for the 2022 Bond program will begin soon.

Visit www.springbranchisd.com/2022Bond for more details.