Nancy Sharp and Amber Dean on LISD Bond Election

Thursday on KFYO Mornings with Dave King and Matt Martin the Communications Director at LISD Nancy Sharp and the Vice President of City Bank Amber Dean joined Dave and Matt to talk about the bond election for the Lubbock Independent School District and what it will affect.

The Lubbock Independent School District is having a bond election to be able to make many improvements and changes to the schools in Lubbock. Sharp and Dean explained that there are three areas for the bonds to focus on, being: efficiency, hardening of facilities in terms of security, and academic programs to support students. To improve security, LISD has held a series of community, student, and parent meetings to find out what they think needed to be changed. In addition to schools current locking systems, they have had a comprehensive security audit to find out how to improve their locks, doors, keyguards, and more.

Another plan they hope to put into motion with this bond is the consolidation of three elementary schools in North Lubbock. After a location for the school is found and the facility is constructed, Guadalupe, Jackson, and Wright Elementary schools would have their student base consolidated into one location. The student to teacher ratio would remain about the same, and the entire process to construct a new facility and close the old facilities would take about 2 years, should the proposal pass. In addition to this, this bond would help replace 30% of the 70 portable buildings around Lubbock and help build additions to schools so that schools wouldn't need as many portable buildings in the first place.

Sharp and Dean also assured Matt and Dave that this bond election would not raise the tax rate. They explained that with the current way they pay off their debt at LISD, there would not be a need to increase the tax rate at all. Additionally, it would take about 20 years to pay off these bonds if passed.

Watch the full interview with Nancy Sharp and Amber Dean in the video above.

KFYO Mornings with Dave King & Matt Martin airs weekday mornings live, from 6:00 AM to 8:30 AM on News/Talk 95.1 FM and 790 AM KFYO, online at KFYO.com, & on the free KFYO app.