The Greater Waco Chamber board has passed a resolution supporting Waco ISD's $172.5-million bond package that will build a new high school, three new elementary schools and allow renovations and upgrades to almost every other campus Waco Independent School Distict currently serves more than 15,000 students spread across 33 campuses and five support facilities.

While lack of school buildings is not an issue, the age and condition of many of the facilities certainly is. The average age of Waco ISD campuses is 70.4 years. Only four new schools have been built in the past 20 years and only seven in the past four decades.

Older schools were constructed for fewer students resulting in smaller campuses that are too expensive, said s...