Education renovation
TISD now authorized to develop campuses old and new after bond election
Photo by Braylen Garren
Superintendent Dr. Doug Brubaker delivers a speech to all teachers during the 2022 Convocation at the beginning of the school year.
February 2, 2023
With the election season well past, TISD emerges from the meetings far better off than where it was before. After their work throughout the election season, every campaigning and promotional effort has bore fruit through the passing of proposition A and B of the TISD bond.
The approval of both propositions of the TISD bond always felt reminiscent of a fever dream for most. Standing just a handful of steps away, but always with enough distance to feel unachievable. However, the successful passage of the bond has reignited an enthusiasm previously dimmed in both teacher and student bodies alike.
Proposition A regards the construction and upkeep of TISD-owned educational facilities, sporting the construction of new schools, renovation of old schools and elevated spending for student transportation, providing both old and new campuses a fresh lifeline.
“These additions will help replace schools that were an average of 82 years old,” superintendent Doug Brubaker said. “[It will also] open opportunities for so many young students.”
The promise of renovation, especially for Pine School Middle School which has remained in desolation for decades on end, is rather inspiring for many. To those who drive or walk past it daily, seeing this relic of Texarkana history restored will be the sight of a lifetime.
“My mom used to attend Pine Street way back when it was still operational,” junior Pierce McDonald said. “Knowing the history it has with my family, seeing it in this state is pretty disheartening, but I’d welcome it with open arms again once it’s able to serve the community for years to come.”
And while the proposition for new construction and renovation is exciting, especially for those with younger siblings, the passing of elevated funding for school-provided transportation is far more likely to affect the student body of THS; especially those lacking in family income.
“The buses right now are missing a lot. Most of the time they just feel icky to ride,” junior Ignacio Martinez said. “And it’s not like it’d take a lot for the school to improve buses either, just making sure they come on time and are somewhat hygienic would make rides so much nicer.”
Proposition B, however, is more likely to resonate with the Texas High student body as it concerns the construction and improvement of CTE facilities on campus. The passage of this proposition ensures that future students of THS will have a degree of choice that past generations of students would have thought impossible.
“I genuinely believe that CTE expansion is one of the most important things our school can expand on,” senior Dominic West said. “For kids like me who want to be in the military, expanded programs can really help us smooth the transition from school to the army.”
Though the future is and always will be uncertain, there is now a degree of faith that it will be one bright and brimming with opportunity. One where future students can access high quality studies that can cater to every career need they may have.
“We are the ones who will bear our nation’s future, and it is the school’s responsibility to give us options to fulfill that task,” West said. “But it is still our responsibility to utilize the resources they have granted us and make something more of ourselves after we leave high school.”
