CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — On Tuesday, Oct. 8, Corpus Christi Independent School District hosted their 17th annual State of the District. Superintendent Dr. Roland Hernandez was the keynote speaker and began his address by outlining the proposed Bond 2024.
If voters approve the bond proposal, it will fund renovations at several schools, including Haas Middle School and three of the district's six high schools. Hernandez said Bond 2024 will not increase the tax burden on district residents.
“While our tax bills may rise due to increased property tax values, set by the appraisal district not the school district, CCISD’s tax rate used to calculate taxes paid to the district will not go up due to this bond," Hernandez said.
Following his address, KRIS 6 news reporter Alexis Scott spoke with Hernandez about an issue community members have been concerned about - student academic performance.
KRIS 6 News previously reported data that showed CCISD students are at or below the state average in several subjects. Hernandez added the district's academic evaluation is still under review at the state level.
"We haven’t even had scores released by the Texas Education Agency because there’s so many questions as to the validity of what’s being done. We are so much more than a state assessment test," Hernandez told Scott.
He also spoke about the district's efforts to get back on track when it comes to enrollment. Since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, CCISD's enrollment dropped to 31,000 students. It's now at 33,000 students, but still has not reached the number the district saw before the pandemic hit.
Hernandez said the decline has much to do with families moving out of Corpus Christi or choosing another school in the area.
“Families move in, move out. We also have a lot of military move in, move out," Hernandez said. "So we just have to keep focusing on continuous improvement. The other thing too, that wasn’t a factor back several years ago is there are new schools in the area.”
Superintendent Hernandez said he and his team will continue prioritizing the enrichment of students and new developments that positively progress the district.
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