Bond Proposal
SUMMARY
On February 3rd, the KISD Board of Trustees unanimously called a bond election for May 3, 2025, totaling $90,000,000 to address student enrollment growth and to make district-wide facility improvements.
PROJECTS INCLUDE:
1. New Junior High School
2. Kemp High School Renovations & Expansion
3. District-Wide Improvements
ORIGINS
Kemp ISD has successfully undertaken and completed multiple projects and initiatives focused on growth, facility and asset conditions, as well as student opportunities and safety, utilizing the existing fund balance. However, as enrollment continues to grow, campus capacity indicates that Kemp ISD’s existing facilities are currently over or will be over capacity in near future years.
With that in mind, Kemp ISD sought the input of the community to continue the development of a long-range facilities plan.
MOTIVATIONS
The bond proposal was selected by both the facility planning committee and the Board of Trustees because it will serve all current and future students in KISD and alleviate overcrowding at all campuses. In addition, the committee considered the impact on taxpayers as well as other opinions expressed in community survey responses.
This proposal aims to address campus capacity, student safety, facility conditions, student opportunities, teacher retention, and traffic issues.
PROPOSAL project DETAILS
NEW JUNIOR HIGH (75,000 sf)
Capacity for 510 students
New Road & Site Clearing
Permits, Surveys, Furniture, Site Utilities, Infrastructure, etc.
Budgeted Amount = $32,250,000
HIGH SCHOOL RENOVATIONS & EXPANSION
Capacity for 1,002 students
Classroom Additions (20,000 sf)
Multi-purpose Arena (15,000 sf)
Relocated CTE Classrooms
& Multi-use Instructional Facility
Repaved Parking Areas
Budgeted Amount = $30,120,000
DISTRICT-WIDE IMPROVEMENTS
Furniture, Fixture, & Equipment Updates at campuses where realignment has occured
Face lifts at all instructional campuses
Other infrastructure as prioritized
Budgeted Amount = $7,743,407
Note: Associated costs of this bond proposal include Contingency (budgeted amount for unforeseen costs - $1,000,000) and Soft Costs & Escalation (budgeted amount for inflation, etc. - $ 18,886,593).
PROPOSED CAMPUS RECONFIGURATION
The District has proposed changes to grade levels and existing campus configurations to alleviate overcrowding and achieve adequate classroom space at all campuses in a financially responsible manner:
Existing Primary and Junior High campuses become two campuses for 1st – 5th grade.
PreK, Head Start, & Kindergarten move to current Intermediate Campus.
Existing Intermediate West becomes a 6th grade campus.
Renovate the existing High School to accommodate approximately 1,000 students.
Build a new Junior High School to accommodate approximately 500 students.
IMPACT ON CAMPUS CAPACITY
PRE-BOND - EXISTING CAMPUS CAPACITY
Kemp Intermediate West & Kemp High School are both currently over capacity.
Kemp Junior High will be over capacity by the 2026 - 2027 school year.
Kemp Intermediate will be over capacity by the 2030 - 2031 school year.
Post-Bond - Proposed Campus CaPACITY
By constructing a new Junior High, renovating and expanding the existing High School, and reconfiguring/moving grade levels to campuses with functional capacities that align with growth projections, all campuses will be under functional capacity throughout the duration of the next 10 years (2033 - 2034 school year).