Gatesville ISD seeks $26 million bond for junior high upgrades

Gatesville voters are being asked to approve a $26 million bond that would reshape Gatesville Junior High School, from safer bathrooms and classrooms to new fine arts space and field house improvements. If the measure fails on May 2, the district’s plans for the 1966 campus would be pushed back, leaving portable classrooms, crossed-street class trips and aging facilities in place.

District leaders say the proposal is aimed at safety, accessibility and instruction, with work centered on Gatesville Junior High and related athletic and fine arts spaces. Planned projects include renovations to the auditorium, restrooms and John C. Price Gym, known locally as the old gym, along with permanent classrooms to replace portable buildings. The bond would also create new spaces for band, choir and theater on the junior high campus so students would not have to cross the street for activities. Improvements to the boys athletic field house would address ventilation, lighting and accessibility, and turf for baseball and softball, plus a new parking lot behind the junior high, are also under consideration.

The district says the bond can be paid for without raising the current tax rate of $0.8969 per $100 of valuation, or 89.69 cents. Even so, the ballot will still include the state-required phrase THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE. Gatesville ISD says that wording is required by Texas Education Code Section 45.003 and does not mean the district is planning a higher rate in practice. Instead, officials say retiring existing debt early and managing finances conservatively make the no-tax-rate-increase structure possible.

The push comes after months of planning and public input, including design committee meetings, stakeholder focus groups, surveys and open feedback opportunities. Gatesville ISD serves about 2,668 students across five campuses, and about 47.6% are economically disadvantaged, which makes campus conditions and program access a daily concern for many families. In October, students and faculty told trustees the auditorium seats had caused scratches, cuts and pinched legs, and they pointed to the risk of band and choir students crossing a busy road to reach classes.

Trustees moved the plan forward last fall when they unanimously approved pre-design work with Huckabee, the contracted architect firm, at a cost of about $1.65 million, or roughly 7.5% of the construction share of the package. District materials say some other projects, including McKamie Stadium improvements and possible grade realignment, would be handled separately. Early voting is set for April 27 and 28 at the Gatesville Tax Office, with election day on Saturday, May 2, at the same location.