Jarrell Growth is on the ballot

JARRELL ISD INCLUDES THE CITY OF JARRELL, SONTERRA, PARTS OF THE ETJ, PORTIONS OF SUN CITY, AND AN AREA IN NORTH GEORGETOWN, JUST WEST OF IH-35.

In the last seven years, Jarrell ISD’s enrollment has skyrocketed. The 2022/23 attendance is more than 3,600—a 158 percent increase and the driving force behind a bond package that will come before voters May 6. To meet the growing educational needs of the community, the school district is proposing a $324.6 million bond that would add three new schools and fund renovations to the high school and district facilities.

The bond proposal includes:

Elementary school #4: 120,000-square-foot school for 900 students, estimated to open in August 2025, $48.49 million

Elementary school #5: 120,000-square-foot school for 900 students, estimated to open in August 2027, $55.11 million

Middle school #2: 145,000-square-foot school; phase one will accommodate 700 students with room to grow to a 1,200-student capacity, estimated to open in August 2025, $89.37 million

District Operations Center: Create a transportation center with maintenance bays and a fueling station, estimated to open in August 2025, $17.33 million

Enhanced technology: $1.37 million

Paw Prints Facility: Upgrade the child development center, $6.38 million

Transportation: Add 16 school buses and eight fleet vehicles, $3 million

Jarrell High School: Increase capacity to 2,200 students, expand the Ag Barn, add a Career and Technical Education wing, Fine Arts wing, library, administration, and general classrooms; estimated completion in December 2025, $92.59 million

Security: Additional security cameras and access controls, $945,972

Utility improvements and land acquisition for future facilities: $10 million

Janet Hage is one of the bond committee’s 45 members, which include district staff, community members, parents, and students. She believes the JISD bond is essential to the Jarrell community. “With the projected growth set to double in the next five years, we are wise to be prepared for our students,” she says.

“I am not just a longtime resident, parent, and grandparent. I am a local developer; I know what’s coming. Education builds great communities, and the heart of this community is our schools.”

Committee member, parent, and Jarrell resident Rebecca Beach agreed the school district needs to be prepared for the city’s growth. “I am in commercial construction, so I see how much industry is coming to the area, which supports the demographics reports we reviewed as a committee,” she says. “We're growing exponentially ... you have to put [the students] someplace.”

Josh Viera, a school substitute and parent, is excited about the Career and Technical Education and Fine Arts department additions to Jarrell High School, which will allow students to pursue different career paths. “There will be a broad spectrum as far as what students will be able to do. The bond is making it possible for all the students and making a difference in their lives.”