Committee recommends $475.5 million bond package; board to consider calling May 2, 2026 election

A district bond and facilities committee recommended that the Birdville ISD Board of Trustees place a $475,500,000 bond package before voters, saying the package prioritizes rebuilding aging campuses, expanding career-technical capacity and improving safety and transportation infrastructure.

"The committee recommends the Birdville ISD board of trustees to call a bond election for 05/02/2026," committee presenter Troy Dunn said, noting the statutory deadline to call an election is Feb. 13, 2026, and the early-voting window would run April 20–28, 2026.

Committee members outlined projects included in the proposed package: replacing Hardeman Elementary and Smithfield Middle School (while keeping the relatively new science wings and gym), combining Watauga and North Oaks into a single campus on the Watauga site, building a new auxiliary support center for transportation and maintenance, expanding the Birdville Center for Technology and Advanced Learning, renewing and replacing buses, upgrading safety and security systems (cameras, access card readers, fencing and fire alarms), updating student and teacher devices and network infrastructure, and renovating fine arts and athletic facilities including band halls, auditoriums, weight rooms and practice fields.

Kyle Pokerny, who presented the committee’s recommendations, described the package as an effort to "top off the secondary" schools so students in grades 6–12 will largely attend modernized facilities. Pokerny said the committee aimed to use available capacity and district resources to maximize student impact across as many campuses as possible.

Committee members emphasized the process used to build the proposal: six meetings held between October and December, demographic and facilities assessments, site visits to older and newer campuses, and input from parents, educators, business and civic leaders. Dolores Webb, a long-time district resident and committee member, said the group saw a strong consensus around immediate needs and the district’s capacity to take on new debt.

The recommendation is advisory; the board has a scheduled meeting on Feb. 9 to review the presentation and could take formal action on calling an election at that time. No bond election was called during the January meeting.

The committee and presenters stressed safety and program continuity as central priorities, and they thanked district staff and volunteers for the committee’s work. The board did not vote on the bond package at the meeting; the committee’s materials and the full project list will be part of the agenda for the board’s February meeting.

What happens next: the board can choose to call the election before the Feb. 13 statutory deadline to place the bond on the May 2, 2026 ballot. If the board does not call the election, the committee suggested the district still has capacity to address some needs through future planning.