Comal ISD Board of Trustees Calls May Bond Election

Feb. 16, 2023 - During its Feb. 15 meeting, the Comal ISD Board of Trustees approved a bond package that will accommodate continued enrollment growth as well as address items such as campus safety and security, student technology, and expansions and improvements at existing campuses. The bond referendum, which will be on the May 6 ballot, will appear as three separate propositions.

Proposition A, in the amount of $560,564,863, will address continued district growth in the way of three new elementary schools to provide capacity relief to Bill Brown, Johnson Ranch, Oak Creek and Freiheit elementary schools, as well as a new middle school to relieve Canyon Middle School. Also funded from Proposition A is a new Life Bridges campus, a program designed to educate young adults with disabilities to increase independence in family and community settings. 

In addition, more than $17 million of the proposition will fund safety and security projects throughout the district. Other projects funded from Proposition A include capital projects at existing campuses that support student programs, facility infrastructure projects such as roofs and HVAC systems to maintain the operational integrity of the campuses, buses to replace aging units, and land for future schools.

Proposition B, in the amount of $46,094,984, will address stadium safety improvements at Canyon Lake High School. The current stadium bleacher configuration only has one exit point, creating an issue when evacuation of spectators is necessary due to lightning or other emergencies. New bleachers will have multiple exit points making evacuations safer. 

The other project funded by Proposition B is a bleacher expansion and fieldhouse at Davenport High School. The campus, which has seen higher than expected enrollment since it opened in 2020, was designed to have the fieldhouse added as student participation in the various programs grew at Davenport. With the addition of the fieldhouse, space currently being utilized inside the main building for athletics will be freed for non-athletic use, such as ROTC and academic classes.

Proposition C, in the amount of $28,000,000, will fund the purchase of student learning devices, classroom audiovisual equipment, WiFi expansion and Wide Area Network (WAN) improvements across the district.

The bond package was recommended by Comal Forward, a diverse citizen’s committee of 66 community members who met over the course of several months to study district facilities and potential projects.

The committee studied enrollment projections, reviewed and prioritized district facility needs, analyzed results from a third-party community survey and learned about district financials. The committee also received reports from department leaders about challenges and successes within their facilities and programs before developing and prioritizing potential project considerations. 

Comal ISD residents will have the opportunity to vote in the bond election on Saturday, May 6, 2023. The deadline to register to vote is Thursday, April 6. Early voting begins April 24 and runs through May 2.