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WISD putting bond in voters’ hands

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By Chris Edwards
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WoodvilleISD graphicWOODVILLE – The Woodville ISD Board of Trustees unanimously voted to accept the District Facility Task Force Committee’s recommendation for a bond package.

The bond package, for the amount of $47,850,000 will be up for a vote this May. The findings of the Task Force, comprised of local citizens, businesspeople, parents as well as school staff, recommended new facilities for WISD, as the costliest part of its recommended upgrades. The Task Force also recommended increased safety and technology across the district.

The Task Force met throughout a nine-month period to assess and prioritize key areas of focus for the district, according to WISD superintendent Lisa Meysembourg.

Trey Allison, on behalf of the Task Force, gave a report of the committee’s findings at the WISD regular monthly board meeting last November.

Allison reported the projected amount of cost and emphasized a need for quality facilities for future generations of WISD students. He said the committee looked at every possible option on the district’s facilities, from renovations to starting over, and ultimately the facilities used for the Pre-Kindergarten through fifth grade students “exhibit many challenges,” he said.

According to Meysembourg, if the bond is approved by voters, it will be used to finance the construction of a new Pre-Kindergarten through fifth grade building to replace the 

existing buildings that currently house the Woodville Elementary and Intermediate campuses. 

Bond money will also be used to finance renovations to the current WISD Vocations-Agriculture building at Woodville High School, which will include an addition to expand space for more career and technical education programs.

“Any bond proceeds used for capital items will be amortized over a short period of time and for a period less than the useful life of these capital items as required by law,” Meysembourg said.

With the projected bond amount, according to the report given before the WISD Board in November, a projected tax increase of around $0.45 per $100 of assessed tax levies could be expected, if passed. 

Allison noted that although the figure “sounds big,” WISD taxpayers would still be on “the very bottom rung” of tax rates in the county.

WISD is welcoming questions from the public regarding the bond program. Anyone with questions may either visit the district’s website, at www.woodvilleeagles.org or can call the WISD administration office at 409-283-3752 or can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

FIRST Ratings presented

At its regular board meeting on Monday, the WISD FIRST (Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas) ratings were shared.

The district passed with an “A” (Superior Achievement) rating, based on data from the 2019-20 school year. The district’s overall score was a 98, and a passing score is 70. 

Among the metrics used to arrive at the FIRST ratings, the Texas Education Agency looks at such factors as changes in the fund balances and the administrative costs for a school district.

FIRST, according to the TEA website, “ensures that Texas public schools are held accountable for the quality of their financial management practices and that they improve these practices,” toward having school districts manage their financial resources the best way they can.

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