Courtesy: Tyler Morning Telegraph
Jacksonville ISD trustees receive more information that could help them make a decision about whether to put a nearly $50 million bond election on the November ballot. A community group that studied the district's needs last week released a plan that calls for replacing at least two elementary schools and making additions and improvements to other campuses.
Reporter Kelly Gooch was in Jacksonville Tuesday night, she reports that the trustees were told that current low interest rates and stable construction costs present the perfect combination, at least financially, for calling a bond election. Trustees were also told that a slow economy could actually work in their favor because during a slow economy construction bids tend to come in at a lower cost.
The board of trustees has about a month to decide. In order to place the proposal on the Nov.
2 general election ballot, they will have to call for an election by Aug.24. The district already has identified its needs and has a good idea how much it will cost, so a lot of the background work has already been done.
Jacksonville ISD does not have a good track record of being able to get school bond projects passed. Voters have turned down three bond proposals in the last five years. The most recent came three years ago, when 53 percent of the voters rejected a $19 million proposal to build a new elementary school.
FOR MORE ON THIS STORY SEE KELLY GOOCH'S STORY IN WEDNESDAY'S TYLER MORNING TELEGRAPH.
