ARGYLE 鈥� The Argyle ISD school board voted this week to take another shot at a bond election, asking voters to consider passing a $423 million package this May.
The bond consists of two parts: Proposition A includes $394 million of land purchases, new schools, campus improvements, technology upgrades and buses. Proposition B offers $29 million for a new baseball and softball complex and Argyle High School.
The 30-member bond committee reconvened from its work on the failed 2024 bond project and whittled more than $88 million from the 2024 propositions. The 2025 bond is a leaner proposal to relieve what several school board members called 鈥減inch points鈥� at middle schools, especially.
Argyle ISD is a fast-growth district, and several board members said they鈥檝e had constituents criticize leaders for lagging behind.
鈥淚 think we heard it today from public comment that, I think, since the 鈥�22 bond, Argyle ISD is always reactive to pinch points,鈥� said Place 4 board member Rich McDowell. 鈥淲e鈥檙e over capacity at Hilltop [Elementary School], over capacity at [Argyle] West [Elementary School], over capacity at [Jane Ruestmann Elementary School]. Does this move us forward, past those challenges?鈥�
Randy Fite, a co-chair of the bond committee, said the group considered the high enrollments at three of the four district elementary schools and applied careful calculations about what that would mean for the future of those young students. With housing developments planning thousands of new homes in the school district, the committee had to forecast the needs for those students.
鈥淚t was evident that middle school 3 and, potentially, a high school 3 are on the horizon,鈥� Fite said. 鈥淲e tried to make sure that funding was available in this bond for both of those needs. And that鈥檚 another reason why we thought that designing middle school 3 now makes a lot of sense. We get that done, we get that completed and get through that whole permitting process, which takes a long time. And that way, we can hit the ground running when that next bond window hits.鈥�
Superintendent Courtney Carpenter said the district鈥檚 needs for capacity mean projects need to start, and soon.
鈥淚f you look at all the projects that are in this bond package, this proposal from the committee, everything falls in the next five years of needing to purchase land or starting the project,鈥� Carpenter said. 鈥淏ecause it鈥檚 a three- to four-year process on building anything new.鈥�
For years, Argyle ISD was a small district that held steady in terms of capacity. It was an affluent community with a single elementary school and one high school, and families liked that their children could graduate with experience in performing arts and athletics. Today, the district has seen enrollment grow, and fast.
There are four elementary schools, and the high school is classified as a 5A. The district鈥檚 includes building a second high school before the existing campus jumps to a 6A University Interscholastic League classification.
Big changes are afoot for the district, and during a special-called meeting this week, board members considered the strains and stress of educating students in schools, like Jane Ruestmann Elementary, that meet their capacities almost as soon as they open their doors.
Board members discussed the reality of crowded campuses and landed on a consensus: The elementary schools are bustling, but have room for more students. It鈥檚 Argyle鈥檚 middle school and sixth grade campus that are especially tight. Holly Williams, principal of the Sixth Grade Center, said decreasing space means limiting programs for students.
鈥淲hile there鈥檚 so much I love about having them by themselves, I also have to reflect about what we can鈥檛 do for them at times,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淭he band hall is only so big. There鈥檚 only so many rooms dedicated to band. We have one gym, one weight room that can hold 54 kids at a time. That鈥檚 it. So if we don鈥檛 find a second middle school, and a place to put some sixth graders, then we鈥檙e going to have to limit how many can go into band, or how many can go into pre-athletics, because you鈥檙e just going to flat run out of space. And those are very much the starting points of our fine arts and athletic programs.鈥�
Williams, a 21-year veteran in the school district, pointed to the quality and competitiveness of the district鈥檚 fine arts and athletics programs on the regional and state level.
鈥淲e鈥檙e good at academics, athletics and fine arts,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 because they鈥檝e been a priority starting at these ages. If, at some point, we can鈥檛 pull some of the sixth graders out of the sixth grade campus and give them another space to start those things 鈥� same with the weight room and concentrating on the sports that are at Argyle Middle School currently 鈥� our kids won鈥檛 have those opportunities.鈥�
Josh Westrom, the Place 7 board member, made a plea for voters to consider the bond as a plan to serve all of the students in the district. A voter鈥檚 child might not ever play baseball or softball, but the district serves students whose families value athletics.
鈥淢y words of encouragement are, 鈥楧on鈥檛 focus on what parts of the bond you don鈥檛 like because that may be someone else鈥檚 priority.鈥� That maybe represents someone else鈥檚 value,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut look at the things that you do like, and recognize that that is representing your priority and that is representing your value. I mean, I have voted on a bonds where I had questioned the timing of projects or the needs of that project, but I鈥檓 glad I voted for them.鈥�
Early voting for the May 3 election begins April 22 and closes April 29. The last day to register to vote or to update your name or address is April 3.