Longview, TX — Capacity issues at its primary and elementary campuses coupled with the threat of Robin Hood recapture led Tatum school trustees late Monday to proceed with plans for a possible bond election in May.
Superintendent Dee Hartt said trustees informally decided to appoint a bond committee in October to gather input and make a formal bond recommendation by February. No bond details have been discussed, but trustees on Monday and in past meetings have focused on possibly building a new elementary campus.
Trustees also adopted a $1.04 property tax rate identical to the 2010 rate. The average tax bill will increase by about $14 to $613, as the average taxable home value in Tatum ISD increased 2 percent to $58,960.
Tatum ISD enrollment has grown 304 students, or 23.4 percent, during the past five years, reaching 1,601 students this past week, Hartt said. That growth is felt most at the 27-year-old primary school, which is at capacity, and the elementary school, which has room for an additional teacher but will reach capacity when Tatum’s current third-graders progress to the elementary campus.
“We have seen a little more than 5 percent (enrollment) increase every year,” he said. “If we continue along that line, we are going to need additional room.”
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