Venus ISD superintendent briefs council on May 3 bond election to fund new high school

Patrick Torres, superintendent of Venus Independent School District, told the Venus City Council on March 10 that the district has called a May 3 bond election to address overcrowding and future growth.

Torres said three of the district's four campuses are “at or above capacity,” and that the high school is the most crowded at 132 percent of capacity, “which is about 175 students over capacity.” He said the bond proposal would fund, in “phase 1, a new high school for $76,000,000” on land the district already owns, describing the site as roughly 152 acres.

The superintendent said the proposal came from multiyear planning by a long-range facilities committee and a bond committee that reconvened with 22 community members. “They came up with the same solution … we needed to build for growth and build a new high school,” Torres said.

Torres also discussed tax impacts included in the district materials. He told the council the average homeowner would see “about 7¢ of an increase” and said the proposal equates to “Dollar 75 a week” on an average priced Venus home. He directed council members to a printed packet and a project website with a barcode on the handout for more detail.

Torres invited council members and residents to community presentations, saying the district will start a “bond road show” and is scheduling meetings with churches and groups across the city to share facts about the proposal before the May 3 vote.

The remarks took place during the meeting’s public comment period; no council action on the bond was taken that night.