Bridgeport ISD calls $185 million bond electionFree Access

*This story has been updated.

The Bridgeport ISD school board called a May 6 bond election for $185 million Monday. The bond will consist of one proposition, including facility improvements, capital projects and district-wide improvements.

The vote to call the bond was passed 7-0.

The board voted to call the bond after being presented with a final recommendation last month by the Long-Range Facilities Planning Committee (LRFPC). The LRFPC, made up of over 60 community members, toured Bridgeport facilities and met several times dating back to October before finalizing their recommendation.

The bond will include $44.8 million for middle school renovations, $63.2 million for a new elementary school and $40 million for a high school auditorium. The bond also includes upgrades to Bull Memorial Stadium ($8.7 million), softball and baseball field upgrades ($6.5 million), tennis court upgrades ($767,000) and a field safety covering ($10.9 million). 

“The idea would be to leave our students in the current building while we are building a new Bridgeport Middle School behind the existing facility,” Bridgeport Superintendent Dr. Amy Ellis said. “Once we are able to build a facility behind it, we would move all of our students, faculty and staff to the new building and demolish the old, original bones of Bridgeport Middle School which would create a parking lot and entryway where the current building sits.”

Ellis added that the new middle school would provide more space for fine arts programs, special programs and an additional capacity of up to 696 students. If passed, the middle school has a projected opening of Fall 2025 after the completion of renovations.

A new Bridgeport elementary school has a projected opening of Fall 2026, with multiple potential sites for a building across the district. The new school would relieve the enrollment of the current elementary school and provide the district with two K-5 campuses with an enrollment capacity of 800 students.

With 85 percent of Bridgeport High School students involved in CTE programs, upgrades to CTE facilities were prioritized in the bond proposal. The bond will include upgrades to the auto shop, ag mechanics shop, floral design program, production design studio and business industry classrooms.

“Our agriculture pathway is the largest pathway that we have and we are bursting at the seams in regards to students that want to be in it, so our CTE upgrades would be put into that as well,” Ellis said.

Safety and security upgrades were also included in the bond package, with Ellis stating that the safety and security of students was a priority item. The bond package also addresses transportation, flooring, roofing, exterior finishes and HVAC upgrades.

The bond package will take into account the projected growth of Bridgeport ISD, with Ellis sharing a Zonda Demographics study that projects student enrollment to reach 2,300 by the 2026/27 school year and nearly 2,900 by the 2031/32 school year. The district has already seen enrollment growth, with Ellis adding that Bridgeport increased by approximately 35 students between May 2022 and August 2022.

The property tax rate will increase by 29.33 cents if the bond is passed. The bond would cost homeowners with a $200,000 home $39.11 per month over the life of the bond, according to the district. Homeowners 65 and older will see no increase in their property tax rate now if they have filed for their senior citizen homestead exemption. Visit wcmess.com/bisdbond2023 to see a comprehensive list of items included in the bond proposal, tax impact, voter information, timelines and FAQ.