Carroll ISD trustees are weighing a package of campus and stadium improvements that would be paid for with tax increment funds anticipated in 2026–27. The plan covers three schools — Old Union Elementary, Eubanks Intermediate and Dawson Middle — plus work at Dragon Stadium. District staff presented the proposal at an April 13 workshop and will return with it to the board on April 20; staff is recommending approval of roughly $1.86 million for the projects. Facilities director Lanny Mooney briefed trustees on the scope and priorities.
Dragon Stadium, which opened in 2001 and holds about 11,000 people, is slated for several upgrades. Work proposed for the stadium includes replacing the game‑day lighting, recoating a parking lot, upgrading restrooms, updating scoreboard technology and replacing locker room floors. Mooney noted ongoing problems with the lights: “These fixtures are 26 years old. We’ve had quite a bit of problems with them this particular year. We almost lost a soccer game. We are constantly working on these things to make sure they illuminate. It’s time.”
Dawson Middle School would see improvements such as new cafeteria tables, resurfacing of the running track, renovation of the nurse’s office and replacement of gymnasium scoreboards. Both Dawson and Eubanks are included in a list of ancillary projects that would replace outdoor lighting and gym bleachers and refresh interior paint in gyms, cafeterias and libraries to extend the useful life of those spaces.
At Old Union Elementary, the district plans to convert an underused computer lab into a classroom, replace student chairs across the campus and install a playground safety fence. Mooney said the fence has been flagged in recent safety audits and the installation will enclose and better secure the play area for students.
The funding source for these projects is the district’s tax increment finance (TIF) district, a mechanism allowed under Texas law that captures the increase in property tax revenue generated by rising property values within a designated area compared to a base year. Those incremental tax dollars can pay for public improvements — such as roads, utilities and school facilities — without increasing the overall property tax rate. Old Union, Eubanks, Dawson and Dragon Stadium fall within the TIF district map, so the proposed work would be financed by anticipated future growth.
