Eight campuses would be renovated under a bond proposal approved by the Allen ISD Board of Trustees on February 11. The proposal also calls for a new agricultural science center to be built in Allen. The $422,800,000 proposal will be included on the May 4, 2019 ballot for Allen ISD voters to consider. If approved, the sale of bonds would not increase the existing Allen ISD debt service tax rate.
A citizen’s committee called Project SOAR met monthly from October to January before forming the bond project recommendations. Committee chairs Rev. Todd Harris and Bill Savage outlined the recommendations in a presentation to the Board on January 23.
Projects and initiatives included in the May 4 bond proposal include:
New Construction – Allen HS Agricultural Science Center - $11,568,000
A new Agricultural Science Center would be built on south Greenville Avenue on land south of Ridgemont Drive to replace the 40-year-old facility in Lucas.
Campus Life Cycle Renovations - $342,412,000
Allen ISD has sought to upgrade and renovate campuses on a 15 to 17 year cycle. The committee recommended that the district continue that renovation schedule. Campuses that would need renovation between 2020 and 2025 would include: Boon Elementary, Chandler Elementary, Evans Elementary, Olson Elementary and Cheatham Elementary Schools. Curtis and Ereckson Middle Schools would be renovated over a period of two years and the phased renovation of Allen High School would continue. Other projects would include renovations to the AISD Administration Building, track resurfacing at the AHS Track Stadium & Lowery Stadium, a shade structure and upgrades to AHS tennis facility, shade structures at AHS baseball and softball facilities and turf replacement at Eagle Stadium, Lowery & Curtis Stadiums before 2025.
Transportation - $6,233,000
The school district would purchase 35 new school buses over a 5-year period and add additional communications (radio), maintenance and safety equipment.
Safe and Secure Schools - $2,787,000
Plans are to install safety doors, secure window frames, upgrade building access control systems and upgrade security camera systems.
Technology - $59,800,000
Technology plans are to expand the wide area network (WAN), upgrade campus and classroom technology to increase accessibility and improve speed and quality, upgrades to classroom multimedia technology and implement a mobile device purchase and replacement system to place more mobile devices in the hands of students and teachers.
If approved by voters, the proposed projects would be completed between 2019 and 2025. Financial projections presented to the Board showed the proposed bond projects could be funded by the sale of bonds with no increase to the school district tax rate.
