School district proposes bond issue

January 25, 2023

Voters in the Comanche Public Schools District will get to decided on a $3.95 million bond issue next month.

The five-year bond would be used for various projects, including the addition of a safe room and band room at the high school. The current band room would become a commons area for students to come into during inclement weather situations.

“Our kids have to stand outside right now before school and I absolutely hate that when its cold and messy or when it’s 100 degrees,” said Julie Bills, superintendent. “With this, they will have a commons area they can go into. The other thing that bothered me is our high school kids have to go to the middle school if there’s a tornado. If the weather’s bad, you don’t want to send them out down through there, so this would be a safe room and band room for the students.”

Other projects include acquiring a new vocational agriculture vehicle, band instruments and uniforms and technology upgrades. There will be roof repair as needed district wide, renovation and remodeling of the greenhouse, acquiring new playground equipment and making improvements to the elementary playground and repairing or resurfacing the track.

“A new surface on the track means more meets hosted by Comanche and more revenue coming in for the local school district,” Bills said. “Resurfacing will upgrade it to the point where meets can return to Comanche in the future.”

The current agricultural truck is a 2005 model and has high mileage.

“Providing a new ag truck will help ensure our staff, students and their animals can continue to get to their activities in a safe manner,” Bills said. “The greenhouse has weathered a number of storms and many of the components are outdated.”

This would not be an additional tax for residents, it would replace the 2018 bond going off the books. If this bond issue passes, it would be the fifth one since 1996. The 2018 bond included enhanced security measures, instructional technology, school buses, activity buses and infrastructure improvements.

“The first thing we want everyone to know is that this bond issue will not result in any tax increase,” Bills said. “Many people naturally associate bond issues with construction or renovation of facilities and they almost all contain a substantial construction project or two. Without bond issues the district would not financially be able to accomplish these projects and renovations.”

The bulk of the $3.95 million bond issue ($2.5 million) will go toward the construction, remodeling and renovating existing rooms at the high school.

For a complete breakdown of the proposal, see the legal notice on page 7.

“With school bonds, you can actually see your tax dollars at work,” Bills said.