The Killeen Independent School District is among the top 20 fastest-growing school districts in Texas – and to sustain this growth, they are considering another bond election.

The district held its first board meeting of the year on Tuesday. On the agenda was a $265 million bond.

Officials say the money will go towards building two new elementary schools, upgrades to Harker Heights and Peebles Elementary, and improvements to high school athletic stadiums.

Back in 2018, the last bond was passed for $426M, but the district says they need more money to accommodate for the expected growth in Killeen.

According to a document provided by KISD, nearly 5,000 students are expected to be added to district schools. One resident says passing the bond will have long term effects for homeowners.

“When we account for our relative median debt in this community, we’re going to find out that we [have] really taken on a large debt load we really need to be careful about,” says Howard Arey.

Arey says the district should further analyze the bond and wait a year.

“Waiting is an option. It’s an expensive option. We estimate the projects would come at an additional $50 million. As a result of escalated construction costs,” says KISD Superintendent John Craft.

At the meeting, the school board summarized and discussed information. No vote was scheduled to be held. The district will look to add the bond to the May election.

During the meeting, Dr. Craft shared the urgency stems from the cost of waiting – which is annual construction escalation over the years. They think funding the facilities now could could save money in the future.