SAN ANTONIO — Northside ISD, the city's largest school district, is celebrating another successful school bond election.
With more than all precincts reporting, the district's nearly $850 million school bond passed by a wide margin, 68 percent to 32 percent, which means all of the 119 schools in the district will soon get some type of upgrade, including the 44 schools that will soon have a bulletproof lobby.
Leon Springs Elementary school is one of the 44 schools, according to an NISD spokesperson.
Natalie Sim's daughter attends Leon Springs and she said that she voted in favor of the bond, hoping that it will be used to give the school a much-needed upgrade.
"We feel that it's really important that these elementary schools get these security lobbies with everything that's going on in the world," Sim said.
Richard Wilson said he doesn't have any family in the school district but he made sure he exercised his right to vote on Saturday.
"Those dollars are going to be well spent, I hope, because that's the future of our country is those kids,” he said.
There was a low voter turnout for both early voting and Election Day but Wilson said that he hopes people will realize what this bond can do for the district.
"As the growth continues here in San Antonio, we're going to see a lot more of this because we have to keep up with the infrastructure," Wilson said. "And the schools are certainly part of it."
The bond will be used for the following:
- Designing, constructing, renovating, acquiring, and equipping school facilities in the district, including one high school, one middle school, and two elementary schools.
- Additional classrooms and renovations at school campuses.
- Additions, renovations and improvements to libraries, science labs, special education and fine arts facilities.
- Various system infrastructure repairs, replacements, improvements, and equipment upgrades, including roof repair or replacement, waterproofing, air-conditioning, heating, lighting, plumbing, electric, flooring, technology, paving, drainage, parking, safety and security and other structural and mechanical systems.
- Additions, expansion, renovations, and improvements to athletic facilities.
- Other additions, renovations, and improvements to instructional and non-instructional district facilities, auditoriums, kitchens and cafeterias at school campuses.
- The purchase of new school buses.
Here's the district's video about the planned improvements: