BRENHAM ISD VOTERS REJECT BOND ISSUES
(courtesy Brenham ISD)
Voters have rejected Brenham ISD’s two bond proposals.
Proposition A, calling for the building of a new junior high school for $111 million, failed with 6,831 votes against and 5,170 in favor. Proposition B, which would have provided for Career and Technical Education (CTE) department enhancements at the high school for $25 million, tallied 6,798 votes in opposition and 5,183 votes of approval.
Brenham ISD Superintendent Dr. Tylor Chaplin appreciates the backing of the community members and bond committee members who strived to “build a future for Brenham ISD.”
If the two bond proposals passed, the school district’s tax rate would have increased by an estimated $0.1860 per $100 valuation, $0.1500 for Proposition A and $0.0360 for Proposition B.
Dr. Chaplin says the district will take time to assess its next steps and where to move forward from here.
This is the second time this year that the school district’s efforts to fund the construction of a new junior high were unsuccessful. In May, a $153.9 million bond proposal failed with 2,255 opposing votes and 1,750 in support. The measure included the new building, CTE upgrades, improvements to the field house locker rooms and cafeteria, and a band marching pad. Funding also would have gone toward districtwide accessibility and security improvements and fiber internet enhancements. Some of the security upgrades were later committed to by the Brenham School Board, which voted in August to designate $1.4 million for that purpose.
Brenham ISD last passed a bond in 2012 for $25.9 million to build Alton Elementary School and renovate the middle school. Before that, the district passed a $10 million bond in 2004 to build Brenham Elementary School and a $23.6 million bond in 1994 to construct a new high school and auditorium.
According to unofficial totals from Washington County Elections Administrator Carol Jackson, there were 14,104 total voters in the election, including 9,487 early voters, out of 24,639 registered voters. That marks a voter turnout of 57.24 percent. The results are considered unofficial until they are canvassed by the Brenham School Board.