Editorial
Every 50 minutes, a bell rings and over 3000 students spill out into the main hallway of Coppell High School. In just a few blinks of an eye the hall is filled from wall to wall with a sea of bodies – flowing through the school like molasses. The congestion during CHS passing periods is just one testament to why the proposed $79.5 million CISD Bond is urgently needed.
$79.5 million is an enormous number and many are worried that this sum is excessive and unnecessary. However, when you break down the 74 different projects the proposal entails and remember that the money will be spread out over several years, it is clear that this large of a band is more than justified.
The largest piece of the bond proposal at $28 million is expansion of Coppell High School – including expansion of the field house and commons and a new multi-purpose competition gym. The bond also dedicates $21 million is the construction of a new elementary school, including new furniture and equipment, and re-alignment of elementary school zoning and bus routes. The remaining half of the bond is divided between things like safety and security, technology and infrastructure, mechanical renovations (including new bathrooms) and future-ready learning upgrades.
Students who have attended school in Coppell from an early age are firsthand witnesses to how impressive this school district is – but also to how much it has grown. Elementary school graduating classes have jumped from 80 to over 100 in just a few years. Each new freshman class at CHS is noticeably larger than the one before it. This magnitude of growth isn’t going to stop and requires corresponding, preemptive action from the District.
Coppell High School was built as a 3A facility. The kitchens appear identical in size to those at the middle schools. During lunch, students line the hallways and sit on the cement outside because there are not enough seats. Trying to fit the entire CHS Band into the Band Hall for a rehearsal is like cramming a square into a round hole. CHS is one of the only 5A schools not to have separate basketball and dance facilities. The list could go on and on. With over 2500 new homes in development in CISD’s zone, these upgrades need to be addressed soon. The proposed $79.5 million Bond addresses these problems at CHS as well as similar areas of need at every school in the district.
Families flock to Coppell from all over the world because of its excellent school district. Coppell voters need to remember that the education system is why this community has flourished and place the continued success of CISD as a priority. Support the bond for the future of your siblings or children. Support the bond for the future of Coppell.
Go to vote4cisd2013.com for more information.
