Hooray! Both bond propositions passed! Thank you, voters of RISD.

In one of the largest turnouts ever for a bond election, voters approved $351 million for renovations to older buildings, land and new schools and curriculum and technology enhancements by a whopping 86%. The second proposition, to move $18.8 million of existing debt into the bond debt fund and save $5.5 million in Robin Hood recapture expense passed by 87%.

Sign up for our newsletter!

* indicates required

We couldn’t have done it without all the hard work of our Vote Yes Bond 2001 PAC. Committee Chairman Carol Kent worked day and night organizing this massive effort. She was ably assisted by co-chairs: Robert and Lori Burns in the Lake Highlands area, Marty and Mary Cohen in the Richardson area, Carl and Gail Hefton in the Pearce area, and Floyd and Lori Stanley in the Berkner area.

Dennis Baum served as treasurer, while Pat Epstein and Melissa Stains worked tirelessly behind the scenes. Special thanks go to Don Wilson and Dave Peters for working the Northeast and Richardson Chambers of Commerce.

We also appreciate the endorsements received from a number of influential groups including the Richardson City Council, the Bi-racial Committee, the Youth services Council and Realtors Supporting Richardson Schools.

Thanks to all of you who handed out brochures, attended meetings, hammered yard signs together, planted yard signs, repaired soggy yard signs and just generally nursed yard signs through the rainy month of February.

And a big thank you to those 6,402 of you who voted! Bond 2001 was truly a team effort for our entire community.

Now it’s time to get to work.

This summer White Rock Elementary will get a three-room addition, a brand new library, air conditioning, new paint and floors. We’ll complete Skyview’s addition and library renovation. Stults Road will get paint and new floors. Forest Meadow will welcome a new roof.

Lake Highlands High School will get a new roof, baseball field lights, concrete repair on the east side of the stadium, stadium restroom renovations and, drum roll please, artificial turf in the stadium.

In the meantime we will be planning major renovations for the oldest schools in this area, including Lake Highlands Junior High, Wallace, Hamilton Park Pacesetter and Lake Highlands elementaries.

We expect to purchase several pieces of land shortly, and begin planning new elementary schools to ease overcrowding in Lake Highlands. And of course, updates to curriculum and technology are ongoing.

We affirmed our common goal in this election, namely to give RISD students the best education possible.