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On Apr. 9, Dripping Springs ISD will host two community information sessions on the 2025 Bond. The first will be at 9:30 a.m., and the second at 6 p.m. Both will be held in the DSISD Center for Learning & Leadership.
DSISD voters will hear from Superintendent Dr. Holly Morris-Kuentz, Deputy Superintendent Elaine Cogburn and Chief Operating Officer Scott Berry. They will be providing information on current and projected district growth, community and committee involvement in the bond process, and the projects that are included in the bond. They will also discuss the taxes and financial impact.
There will be an opportunity for stakeholders to ask questions as well. For those who would like to learn more in advance of the meeting, the district has information online at www.dsisdtx. us/2025bond.
The work on the May 2025 bond began in the fall of 2023, when the Long-Range Facilities Planning Committee (LRFPC) reconvened to plan for the next several years of facility needs for DSISD. The committee had representation from more than 50 parents, students, staff and community members, and made recommendations based on prodrippingspringsnews.
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jected district growth.
Following that recommendation, the district formed a Citizens’ Bond Steering Committee made up of parents, students and community members. They looked at the work of the LRFPC and developed a bond package to be considered by the DSISD Board of Trustees. In January 2025, the Board of Trustees held several workshop meetings on the bond package.
The bond package aims to address the continued growth in the district. In just the last decade, DSISD has grown by 61%, or 3,293 students, to its current enrollment of 8,714. In the 20262027 school year, DSISD is projected to surpass 10,000 students.
During that same period, Dripping Springs High School has grown from 1,586 students to its current enrollment of 2,564 students, which is 103% of its 2,500 student capacity. By 2028-2029, the campus is projected to exceed 3,200 students, which will max out the portable capacity as well as the already exceeded building capacity.
According to the district, the bond, pass or fail, will not affect the tax rate.
In Texas, a school district's tax rate is divided into two parts that fund different portions of a school district's budget. These rates are the Maintenance & Operations (M&O) tax rate, and the Interest & Sinking (I&S) tax rate. The larger of the two tax rates is the M&O, which funds the day-to-day maintenance and operations of the school district like teacher and staff salaries and utilities.
The I&S tax rate, on the other hand, can only be used to pay off debt incurred by issuing voterapproved bonds. DSISD's I&S tax rate has remained the same since 2016, and is expected to remain the same for 2025.
However, a state law adopted in 2019 requires every school district to include the statement 'THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE' on the ballot, regardless of the actual impact on the district's tax rate. This is because, with a bond, districts take on more debt.
As part of its debt management strategy, DSISD looks for opportunities to refinance debt when it would be beneficial. Since April 2012, DSISD has successfully completed four refinancings and two defeasances of existing debt, producing total savings of more than $34 million for district taxpayers.
