Gladewater ISD trustees are poised to vote on a 2026 bond proposal during their regular meeting Monday, considering either $6.1 million across 10 years or $8.1 million for 15 to cover projects ranging from the state-mandated school bus seatbelt revamp to HVAC upgrades and a new pole barn.
The GISD school board is also scheduled for a Feb. 9 vote on Senate Bill 11 regarding ‘Daily Prayer Time’ at the district.
The bond proposal lands three months after voters statewide approved raising the school district homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000 for all homeowners.
Factoring that change into calculations, “The bond will not increase current tax rate,” according to a presentation by GISD Supt. Rae Ann Patty, Chief Financial Officer Candy Keller and Hilltop Securities Senior Managing Director John Martin.
View and download the presentation at GladewaterMirror.com
GISD’s previous bond election was a bit more than a decade ago. Under a different school board and Supt. J.P. Richardson, voters signed off on a total $35 million bond for the construction of Gladewater Middle School with about $8 million allocated to renovations at Weldon.
This past September, GISD trustees adopted a Maintenance and Operations (M&O) tax rate of $0.7552 per $100 valuation along with an Interest and Sinking (I&S) rate of $0.253336 per $100 valuation. It put the total tax rate at $1.008536 per $100 valuation of a home.
According to the school’s proposition, there will be no tax increase for those with the “Age 65 Homestead” exemption affidavit.
“Due to state legislation, the tax rate has decreased by $0.44 over the last five years and will remain at the new rate through next year,” the presenters noted. “GISD gives a 20 percent discount to all homestead owners before any other exemptions.”
Payers in October received an additional 3 percent discount. It drops to 2 percent in November, 1 percent if taxes are paid in December.
With voter approval of the $140,000 Homestead Exemption Nov. 4, the taxable valyue of a home was reduced by $40,000 more.
“For homes value at $140,000 or below, your school tax bill will be $0.”
Through the 2026 bond proposal, the district is asking voters’ sign-off on:
• upgrading the school’s buses with seat belst according to Senate Bill 546
• replacing air conditioning units
• funding heat exchangers
• painting and beautifying Gladewater High School and Gladewater Primary School
• upgrading safety measures to include keyless entry to the exterior doors of GHS and GPS
• upgrading GISD radio and replacing intercom systems
• replacing GHS chillers and boilers
• building a Pole Barn for CTE Ag
Per Patty, “The proposed bond targets improvements and renovations to district facilities used by our students every day,” she stated. “The proposed bond will update and modernize the district’s learning environments.
“It also includes upgrades to our campus facilities, ensuring we are providing the best learning facilities that are safe for our students. Thank you for your continued support of our schools.”
Following Patty’s presentation of the bond proposal Jan. 12, it’s on the agenda for the school board’s 6 p.m. meeting Monday.
There will also be a presentation on the seat belt mandate of SB 546 and in addition to a vote on policies tied SB 11. State legislators last year gave elected officials at Texas school districts (as well as open-enrollment charter schools) a path to adopt policies that would build a time of prayer and/or the reading of religious texts into each school day.