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The Dripping Springs ISD Board of Trustees voted 6-1 at a special meeting last week to call for a $481.1 million bond referendum.
The meeting, which took place on Thursday, Aug. 18, was open to the public. It followed the initial proposal of a $485 million bond package, which was made by the Citizens’ Bond Steering Committee on July 25. The package voted on at Thursday’s meeting is $349 million more than the most-recently approved bond, the 2018 Bond Package.
This year’s bond package, as is, includes funding for three main propositions: Propositions A, B and C.
Proposition A — with a price tag of nearly $200 million — primarily focuses on elementary and middle school improvements, as well as maintenance issues. This includes building a sixth elementary school, designing a seventh elementary school, designing a third middle school and expanding Sycamore Springs Middle School.
Proposition B is intended to fund the construction of a second high school, allocating over $275 million to the endeavor.
Proposition C covers “Technology Lifestyle Replacements,” and is the smallest proposition of the three at approximately $6.5 million.
Approval of the bond is not expected to result in a change to the current tax rate, which is $1.3103 per $100 of certified property value, according to DSISD.
“Actual property tax bills are a product of the tax rate and the appraised property value,” the district noted in a press release. “Increases in property value will increase a homeowner’s tax bill. By law, homeowners 65 years and older who have taken certain steps to apply for an exemption would not see an increase in their total school taxes above the amount at which their taxes were frozen (unless new improvements were constructed).”
The bond proposal is the result of a thorough planning process conducted by the district that involved community members, parents, campus, and district staff. Beginning in 2019, the district’s Long-Range Facility Planning Committee evaluated the current state of district facilities, reviewed school capacity and program models and examined demographic data. Following the LRFPC process, the Citizens’ Bond Steering Committee was convened in May to take the recommendations of the LRFPC and consider bond project options and associated costs.
Residents must be registered to vote in order to be eligible to vote in the bond election. The deadline to register to vote in the November general election is October 11. The first day of early voting in person is Monday, October 24. The last day to apply for a ballot by mail (received in the elections office, not postmarked) is October 28. The last day of early voting in person is November 4. Election day is Tuesday, November 8.
To view the full bond package, visit the DSISD website at dsisdtx.us/ dsisd.
