School Bond 2010 addresses need for new classrooms and upgrades to existing schools

Northside is proposing a school bond issue for $535 million. School Bond 2010 equally addresses the need for new schools to manage continuing growth and the need to improve existing schools. The election is scheduled for May 8, 2010.

Even with the nationwide economic downturn, Northside enrollment has continued to grow by up to 3,000 students every year. That's because half of all new homes built in Bexar County are located in Northside. Just in the last eight years, NISD has opened 30 schools. This summer, NISD will open five more. Within three years, NISD will surpass 100,000 students.

Since the last bond election in 2007, Northside has become the fourth largest school district in Texas. In addition to the growth and need for more classrooms, Northside's existing schools need continued attention to keep them up to current standards and provide functional learning spaces for children. In fact, 51 percent of the proposal addresses needs at older neighborhood schools. About half of Northside's schools are more than 20 years old, and some were originally built as early as the 1950s and 1960s. In the district's 61-year history, all schools have been constructed with bond funds.