Voters approve combined $1.5B in school upgrades for Eagle Mountain-Saginaw, HEB districts

Eagle Mountain-Saginaw and Hurst-Euless-Bedford school districts are set to receive significant updates to their facilities following voter approval of substantial bond projects totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. In contrast, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD saw its athletics-related proposals turned down.

On Nov. 7, voters in both school districts gave the green light to two different bond packages, as per the unofficial election outcomes. HEB ISD’s two-part proposal, nearing $1 billion, aims to revitalize the district’s older schools. Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD received approval for two propositions amounting to $561.1 million, but faced rejection for two other initiatives valued at $98 million.

Final vote tallies revealed over 57% support for each of HEB ISD’s bond propositions. In Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD, more than 51% of voters endorsed Prop A and B, whereas nearly 60% opposed Prop C and D.

“We thank those in our community who took the time to go vote and we are thankful for your support with managing current and future enrollment growth,” Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD Superintendent Jim Chadwell said. “While our hope was to see all the projects recommended by the Long-Range Facility Planning Committee approved, we respect the community’s decisions made in this election and will begin planning for projects in Propositions A and B.”

HEB ISD voters approved two separate propositions. Prop A will cost $979.3 million, and it’s intended for new facilities, including new high schools and elementary schools.

Prop B, totaling $18 million, is directed toward updating technology. Now, every student will be fitted with either an iPad or a Google Chromebook, according to HEB ISD.

“This is an exciting day for the students and staff of HEB ISD and I want to thank our community for their continued support,” Superintendent Joe Harrington said. “Our residents have a long history of investing in students and schools — ensuring that HEB ISD remains a premier district and can serve our students in a way that is both special and unique to the DFW area.”

The tax rate for the school district is set to rise by 5 cents, reaching 97.41 cents per $100 of property value. This increase will occur gradually over the next four years, starting in 2024. HEB ISD is engaging in its first bond election since 2018, when voters approved a $199 million bond focusing on junior high campus renovations. In the current plan, L.D. Bell High School and Trinity High School are slated for complete replacement, along with four elementary schools by fall 2027.

The reconstruction of the two high schools is a major aspect of the project. Trinity High School alone requires the demolition and rebuilding of 11 buildings.

Deanne Hullender, the district’s chief public relations and marketing officer, emphasized the project’s necessity due to size and infrastructure concerns.

Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD, covering a 73 square-mile area in northwest Tarrant County, proposed a $659.1 million bond to accommodate an expected increase of 4,765 students in the next seven years. This follows a failed $275 million bond attempt in 2022.

The majority of Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD’s bond proposal received voter approval. Prop A, totaling $540.9 million, will fund four new campuses, other school improvements, an agricultural sciences building, and enhanced security.

Voters also passed Prop B, allocating $20.2 million for technology purchases, making it the smallest of the four propositions.

However, Prop C and D, which sought funding for improvements to Saginaw High School’s athletics facilities and a $51 million swimming complex, were rejected.

Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD’s financial team does not foresee significant tax impacts. The district’s CFO anticipates a minor debt service increase of one-tenth of a cent for the 2024-25 school year.

Officials estimate the average homeowner’s annual contribution to support the bond to be under $3.

“It doesn’t put any significant burden on our taxpayers. We owe it to our children to take this bond forward,” Brent Ranabargar, an Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD parent, previously said.

Both districts expect to start work on the newly approved projects in 2024.