FRISCO, TEXAS — Students at Centennial may not agree on everything, but one thing is undeniable: our school is one of the oldest schools in Frisco ISD. At over 20 years old, Centennial has said hello and goodbye to many teens and staff, changing significantly over time. However, the look of our school is the one thing that has not changed much over the years.
In 2024, the Frisco ISD Website posted a page informing the Frisco public about Bond + Vatre. It discussed the bond’s purpose, when it is open for voting, and multiple subtopics for voters to explore. Many voters asked: what is a Bond + Vatre? Bonds are loans that are taken out to pay for things for schools, and Vatres are mandated by the State of Texas, where the public will have to vote on these proposed topics.
On paper, it seemed like a great idea. The city was proposing one billion dollars to be taken out as a loan. The money would be used to maintain schools older than 25 years, improve the interior of the schools, and provide new equipment for many programs. Students at Centennial were excited about this new change. Senior Lasya Kothuri shares her thoughts on first learning about the suggestion.
“Even though I’m graduating, I’m glad because it would have really helped the programs like the theatre program. It would have given new stages and better equipment so that we could make higher quality shows,” said Kothuri.
Even with all this excitement from students, the proposal was rejected. So how did people feel about the rejection? When asking one of our AP English Language and Composition teachers, Mrs. Lybbert, about her thoughts on why this proposal was rejected, she showed how the teachers were shown the information compared to the voters.
“The way it was explained to us was a staff meeting about the small pennies to the dollars that our taxes would go up,” Mrs. Lybbert said “That really should have been explained to the folk.”
Because the bond is a loan, it would increase the Frisco citizens’ taxes. This is what caused a lot of discourse over the bond. The difference in how the information was presented spread misinformation because of the lack of clarity, causing voters to reject the bond.
Overall, while the proposed Bond + Vatre seemed like an opportunity to improve Centennial High School and other schools in Frisco ISD, the lack of clear communication and understanding ultimately led to its rejection. Despite the enthusiasm from students like Lasya Kothuri, who recognized the potential benefits of extracurricular programs, many voters were swayed by concerns over tax increases. Moving forward, Frisco ISD must find ways to better inform the public and engage with voters to ensure that future proposals have a clearer path to approval.
