Nearly $200M bond proposal in Texarkana would greatly benefit TISD, superintendent says

TEXARKANA, Texas (KSLA) - Voters in Texarkana, Texas, are being asked to approve a bond proposal of nearly $200 million, which leaders say will provide major improvements across the Texarkana Independent School District (TISD).

KSLA caught up with TISD Superintendent Doug Brubaker as he took a look at the old Pine Street school campus, a view he says he hopes will soon disappear.

“In other parts of the building, you can actually see where the roof has caved in,” Brubaker said about the campus.

School leaders in Texarkana are hoping voters will turn this site into a new elementary school building. There are two propositions on the ballot, totaling $189 million, with a major portion earmarked for a new school at this location.

“Proposition A includes a replacement school to replace Pine Street that will serve 800 students that currently attend Spring Lake Park and Highland Park. There will be a new school that replaces Dunbar Early Education Center. Proposition B includes career and educational expansion and renovation at Texas High School,” said Brubaker.

Also included in the bond proposal are upgraded security measures and new school buses. According to Brubaker, if the bond passes, work on the projects should begin within a couple of months, with the entire school district reaping the benefits.

“The things in the bond affect students from age 3, when they join us, all the way up to 17 or 18, when they graduate from Texas High School and go out into the world,” Brubaker said.

The superintendent said if passed, the estimated monthly tax increase for Proposition A is $9.06 and $4.12 for Proposition B. The last bond election for TISD was back in 2014.