LAMAR CISD staff outline $2 billion bond package, flag $1 billion in facility repairs
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Summary
District staff presented a proposed $2 billion bond with new schools, additions and a facilities repair backlog the presentation lists at about $1 billion; trustees asked for more detail and staff will return with revisions.
Lamar Consolidated Independent School District staff presented the district’s proposed $2,000,000,000 bond package at a June 16 workshop, laying out new elementary and secondary school construction, campus additions and a facilities-repair backlog they estimated at roughly $1 billion.
The presentation, led by Mr. Buchanan, staff member, said the proposal is organized into propositions that include new elementary schools (labeled 39–45), additions to Lehman Junior High and Roberts Middle School, a Secondary Complex 9 (high school, junior high and middle school), an auditorium upgrade and campus support items such as land acquisition, portable buildings, buses, and safety upgrades. Buchanan told trustees that “budget amounts are based off current project cost with a 7% inflation annually until the school opens.”
Why it matters: the facilities list includes both capacity projects to serve rapid growth and a long list of deferred maintenance. The district cited a facilities assessment it said totals about $1,000,000,000 to bring campuses up to current prototype standards and $600,300,000 specifically for safety, HVAC and roofing work. Those figures shaped trustee questions about prioritization and timing.
Most important details: the bond citizen committee voted in favor of many items with high percentages, the presentation showed: 95% support for many elementary sites, 100% for certain secondary additions and Secondary Complex 9, 86% for an auditorium expansion to 1,250 seats and 95% for a proposed Terry/George/Navarro replacement. The Secondary Complex 9 site under discussion is located near Spur 10 and Highway 59 and was presented as a way to relieve anticipated growth pressures in the district’s southern tracks.
Trustees pressed staff on site selection, sequencing and transitions for existing campuses. Buchanan explained repurposing options for Terry High School, George Junior High and Navarro Middle School and described using an existing campus as a temporary ‘transition campus’ during a multi‑year rebuild. He said a repurposing committee could be appointed in the 2028 bond cycle to plan long‑term use of those buildings.
The presentation also outlined the district’s approach to maintenance funding: Buchanan summarized that the state-designated interest and sinking (I&S) mechanism is the usual source for major facility projects and that using operating (M&O) funds for large capital projects would reduce classroom resources.
What happened next: trustees directed staff to revise the packet and return with updated materials at the next board meeting and to have bond counsel available at the subsequent meeting to answer legal questions about ballot propositions and timing. Staff also agreed to post the facility assessment and vendor information online and to include a community‑survey timeline if the board asks for one. The trustees discussed a mid‑August deadline to call the election and the possibility of moving the election to May 2026 if the board prefers; no formal vote was taken at the workshop.
The board scheduled further review at the next public meeting and asked staff to provide more detailed, all‑in cost estimates (construction plus soft costs, inflation and program oversight) for any campus or stadium work that trustees asked to consider.
