Killeen — Killeen Independent School District Superintendent Dr. John Craft traveled to several schools Wednesday morning to show what improvements need to be made to district campuses, and explain how the $426 million bond proposal will help with those improvements.
"We felt it important that the public understand the exact circumstances we're asking them to weigh in on, heading into the election this Saturday," Craft said.
Craft and his staff started the day at Harker Heights High School to discuss the districts severe overcrowding issue. Three of the four Killeen high schools are overcrowded, with Harker Heights High School in the worst position currently overcrowded by 326 students. All of the children at Harker Heights High cannot fit into the main school building, so the campus has turned to portable buildings or trailers as a way to relieve some of the overcrowding.
"Portable buildings are commonplace across all of our high school campuses at this point," Craft said.
According to KISD, more than 1,000 high schoolers take classes in trailers daily, Harker Heights High School currently has 28 trailers in use and there are 290 trailer classrooms in use within the district as a whole. It's a situation Dr. Craft says simply cannot continue.
"There are safety concerns. The trailers are not as well built as a regular high school facility and the passing periods are of great concern," Craft said.
To fix the issue the bond proposes to build a new high school in South Killeen as well as a new elementary school, both would open in 2022.
"With the addition of the sixth high school we'll not only be able to alleviate the portable buildings at Harker Heights High School in the future but also the portable buildings associated with all of our high school facilities," Craft said.
Craft then traveled to Skipcha Elementary to discuss district safety.
The bond lays out $4 million for school safety and security upgrades including new perimeter fencing, intercom systems and security buzzer systems that help keep intruders out. The security buzzer system is already in place at Skipcha Elementary and working effectively. Craft said other campuses would also benefit from these upgrades if the bond passes.
"A secure environment is what we're working to create at all of our campuses throughout the school district," Craft said.
If voters approve the bond, the average homeowner can expect to see a 14 dollar monthly increase in property taxes.
Election Day is Saturday, May 5th.
For more information about the bond go here.