Robinson ISD Asks Voters for $81 Million to Replace Its 10-Building Junior High

Election preview. Voters in Robinson ISD will decide Tuesday, Nov. 3, whether to borrow $81.21 million, mostly to replace the district's junior high. It is the district's second try after voters turned down a bond in May 2025.

What is on the ballot

Proposition A, labeled "THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE" as state law requires, would authorize $81,210,000 in bonds to build, renovate, improve and equip school facilities, according to the district's official notice of election. The district sits in McLennan and Falls counties, and the board called the election on July 20.

The centerpiece is a new junior high of about 110,000 to 115,000 square feet. The district's bond FAQ says the current junior high operates across 10 different buildings, and the new school would put every junior high student under one roof that meets accessibility rules. The plan calls for tearing down the administration building and bus barn to make room. The old junior high would then be partly turned into offices for administration, maintenance and transportation.

The package also includes a metal building at the high school for a weight room and storage, and new playground equipment at the elementary school. The FAQ says the current playground was installed in 1990 and replacement parts are no longer available. If the bond passes, construction would start in summer 2027 and finish in summer 2029.

Brookshire's in Robinson, in a photo uploaded to Wikipedia in 2010. Photo: Marlinite / Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

What it would cost

The district estimates the bond would raise its tax rate by 14.47 cents per $100 of value. For the average home, with a market value of $334,836 and the $140,000 homestead exemption, that comes to about $23.49 a month.

The election notice lays out the long-term bill. Assuming a 5% interest rate, the district estimates $85,801,000 in interest, for a total of $167,011,000 to repay the bonds, which it expects to pay off over 30 years. That means the interest would cost more than the buildings themselves. When the election was called, the district owed $17,342,751.60 in principal on its existing debt and levied a debt tax rate of 19.144 cents. The FAQ says its only other outstanding bond is from 2014, for Robinson Intermediate.

Homeowners 65 and older or disabled who have applied for that exemption have a tax ceiling on their school taxes, so their bills cannot go above it whether the bond passes or not.

How the district got here

After the May 2025 bond failed, the district surveyed residents and held a town hall. It says 786 people answered the survey, and 57% of them said they had supported the May 2025 bond. Replacing the junior high, the district's oldest building, is the first project on its list. The FAQ also notes what is not in this bond: no auditorium or performing arts center. The district's financial advisor put its maximum borrowing capacity at $88,065,000.

Other Texas school districts are asking voters for money Tuesday too, including Karnes City and Weimar.

Our view

Ten buildings for one junior high is a real problem, both for safety and for teaching. The district went back to residents after the 2025 defeat and built this package around the project they ranked first. That deserves credit.

Still, voters should look hard at the full price: $167 million over 30 years, with more paid in interest than in principal. That is a heavy load for a generation of families. Read the notice, weigh the need, and vote. Whatever the result, the district says an independent agent will provide added oversight if the bond passes, and it should report every dollar.