Dickinson Independent School District voters approved a $94.2 million bond referendum yesterday with 53.92 percent for and 46.08 percent against the bond. A total of 20,686 votes were cast in the election with 11,154 for the bond and 9,532 against. This bond referendum was a year-long process starting in Fall 2019 with planning by the district’s Facility Task Force. The election was to have taken place in May; however, like other area elections it was postponed due to COVID-19 precautions and moved to November.
"It is a great day for the students and employees of Dickinson ISD," said Superintendent Carla Voelkel. "As always, the voters in our district once again came through for our students, our district growth, and our future... Now our work begins."
The Dickinson ISD community has been very supportive of the district over the past 20 years by approving six bond referendums to allow Dickinson ISD to have the space available for the growing student enrollment which has more than doubled over the past two decades.
The bond project includes construction of the district’s third junior high school. It will be built on a 36-acre tract the district owns in the fast-growing southern portion of the district on the east side of I-45 between Hughes Road and Mainland City Centre. Currently, Dickinson ISD students in pre-kindergarten to grade 4 attend elementary schools, grades 5-6 are in middle schools and grades 7-8 attend junior high school. Upon completion of the new junior high in approximately two years, Dickinson ISD will be realigning the grade levels to have pre-kindergarten to grade 3 in elementary school, grades 4-5 in middle school and grades 6-8 in junior high. The realignment will allow the district to plan for future growth and meet the requirements of House Bill 3 passed by the Texas Legislature in 2019 requiring school districts to offer full-day pre-kindergarten to all eligible four-year-old students.
In addition to the new junior high, the Dickinson ISD community will see $20.5 million spent on several other projects throughout the district to accommodate growth and enhance district safety and security. These include:
• Transportation Center additions and renovations - $11.6 million
• Technology Center additions and renovations - $1.5 million
• Agricultural Center additions and renovations - $3.2 million
• McAdams Junior High running track replacements - $300,000
• Hughes Road Elementary parking lot improvements - $2 million
• District-wide security vestibule improvements - $1.5 million
• Lobit Education Village and Kranz Junior High safety upgrades - $400,000
"We would like to send a special thank you to our Dickinson ISD Facility Task Force for all their hard work over the past year and their dedication to the students of our school district, and once again, we would like to thank our residents for supporting the bond and Dickinson ISD" said Voelkel.
DISD 2020 Bond Information