Bond 2026 Projects
I have been in Hereford for almost two years now and one consistent comment I have heard from community and staff members has been: New High School. Because of this consistent call, the Board of Trustees called for a bond totally $150,000,000 on February 12, 2026 based on the recommendation of the facility committee that has met for well over a year. The facility committee includes business/community leaders, parents, grandparents, and HISD staff members. Questions now are being raised about what projects will be included in the bond and if there is going to be a new high school, where will it be located. Most of these questions will be answered at our upcoming Town Hall meetings on April 7th and April 20th at the Civic Center as well as at the meeting on April 13th in the high school library where the community can tour the current high school.
$150,000,000 is a large bond and will impact the Interest and Sinking (INS) tax rate .35 cents. If the bond passes, the impact on the average household will be $9.83 a month or $118.01 per year unless you are 65 or older and your tax rate will not be affected. The projects that the facility committee recommend are as follows:
A new high school: this will replace the current high school and will not be an additional high school. The location, after much discussion with the committee, is to place the high school around the current high school because we own the land and there is room at the site to replace the high school in that location. The final decision for the location of the new high school will be determined by the Board of Trustees after the bond passes. One of the reasons the committee focused on in making the decision to recommend that the high school remain in the current location is the CTE buildings and the Triple Gyms. The CTE buildings alone have a replacement cost between $50m -$60m if they were to be relocated. While it would be great to be able to buy an alternative piece of land, build all new facilities with all new athletic complex, our bond capacity will not allow for that. The new high school will be one connected structure that includes a safe room for staff and students.
Demolish the Stanton building which was constructed in 1926. The plan is to remove this structure as well as the addition behind it (annex) due to the fact that much of the complex has been condemned. The Texas Historical Society has granted permission for the site to be demolished so that the land can be used for other district needs which may include relocated tennis courts and the band practice field.
Build 6 stand-alone safe rooms/multipurpose rooms. The reason the facility committee recommend building these stand-alone buildings is twofold: a) The safety of our students and staff. These rooms are constructed and designed to withstand hurricane strength sustained winds as well as F5 tornados. b) To be able to have PE and other activities in these buildings rather than in the cafetorium’s at the elementary schools and Tierra Blanco. Currently, lunch is a hurried and crowded process at these schools because of the PE schedules taking place in the school cafetorium.
The committee also recommended that other district and safety needs be addressed with anything that is remaining from bond proceeds. These upgrades could include communication and security upgrades including additional perimeter fencing. There is also the need to upgrade many of our HVAC systems that are over 20 years old.
While the above is intended to be a summary of projects that will be included if the bond passes, I hope that it will help answer any questions you may have about the bond projects. If not, please feel free to set up a meeting with me or contact me via email: ralphcarter@herefordisd.net. You can also visit our bond website to learn more.