Northwest ISD, one of the fastest growing school districts in Texas, is now planning for additional growth. Voters approved all three parts of a bond package last weekend.
The largest part provides up to $1.67 billion for a fourth high school, eighth middle school, three new elementary schools and four early childhood centers. The district will also replace two elementary schools.
Over the past 20 years, Northwest ISD has grown from 6,177 students to 29,248.
"We hope the growth will moderate," says Superintendent Mark Foust. "We've been in a hyper-growth mode over the last ten years."
Northwest ISD has been adding about 1,000 students a year for the past decade. The bond plans for an additional 8,400 students.
The proposition for new and expanded schools passed with 60.6% of the vote.
Proposition B includes $301,555,000 for three home stadiums at Byron Nelson High School, Eaton High School and a planned fourth high school. The proposition also has money for renovations at the district's track and field complex and improvements at the existing Northwest ISD stadium.
Proposition B passed with the smallest margin of 50.4%. Foust says people may focus on football, but the stadiums give students from different groups a chance to learn how to work together.
"I think fine arts, sports and any extracurricular activity give you an opportunity to learn perseverance, learn grit and the world's not an easy place," he says.
Foust says many schools have the word, "grit," painted on their walls. He says Northwest ISD tries to engage 80% of students in a sport, activity or fine arts.
Proposition C passed with 61.7%. That measure includes technology devices for students and teachers.
Foust says the use of technology can help kids learn more quickly and efficiently. He says all parts of the bond will help kids learn how to solve problems together.
"We do talk with our students, we want to build a safe learning environment," he says. "Safe to try, safe to fail. We say, 'Fail forward and fail fast.'"
He says all three parts will help the district plan for future growth. Northwest ISD has schools in 14 cities. As the district reviews attendance boundaries, Foust says the additional schools will help accommodate additional students if one area starts growing faster than expected.
The bond will increase the tax rate for people who live in the district by a tenth of one cent. The district says this was the first increase in the tax rate since 1993.
Northwest ISD says the average home in the district is worth $450,000. For a homeowner with an average property, the tax would increase $4.10 per year.
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