Pleasant Grove Independent School District's Board of Trustees will hold a public hearing at 5:30 p.m. today to consider the 2018-19 proposed budget and tax rate and land for the new elementary school.
The proposed tax is $1.455 per $100 property valuation and is an increase from last year's rate of $1.44. Voters approved the increase in May. The $19.9-million bond includes $250,000 for increased school security; $1.2 million for technology upgrades, which are primarily infrastructure; and $18,519,862 for the new school.
The increase will cost about $15 annually for a home valued at $100,000.
The board will also consider issuing a request for proposals for land for the new school.
Superintendent Dr. Jason Smith said they are looking at approximately 10 acres of land on Christus Drive and Galleria Oaks. He said the district is considering exchanging approximately 4.2 acres of property at the current elementary site for the new land, but that they are required to issue requests for proposals before they do so. Smith said there may be another 10-acre site in the district that would also be suitable for the new school.
"We want to make it public for anybody and everybody interested to send a request for proposals and what their offer would be," he said. "There may be someone out there that may have great roads and a great location that the district may find better suited. We've got to be able to look at that and see all viable opportunities out there and make sure that we are looking at all viable options that may exist in the PG school district."
Smith said two notices will be printed in the newspaper and after the second notice, the board will look at the proposals and make a decision on the property.
The meeting will be held in the Central Services, 8500 N. Kings Highway, Texarkana, Texas.