With the presentation of the final bond recommendations to the board of trustees less than a month away, the Klein ISD 2015 bond steering committee and consulting firm DeJong Richter narrowed the list of possible bond recommendations to less than $500 million from an initial list of more than $725 million in possible bond projects.
KISD Superintendent Jim Cain said the reduction in costs would reduce the estimated tax rate increase from 16 cents over the next few years to 11 cents. Currently at 35 cents per $100 of property valuation, the debt service rate would have risen to 51 cents by the 2020–21 school year with the passage of the initial bond package compared to 45.5 cents with the new list of recommendations.
"What we did at our board session last week was say, 'That's probably too much,'" Cain said. "'Let's see if we can right-size this bond and make sure we keep everything that needs to be kept there that puts less pressure on the debt service part of the tax rate.'"
David Sturtz, project director for DeJong Richter, presented recommendations at the third steering committee meeting Oct. 28. Made up of KISD staff and local stakeholders, the committee met again Nov. 11 to consider the final recommendations before the board of trustees receives the recommended bond package at a Dec. 8 board meeting.
The board will vote on the recommendations in January. If approved, the bond will be placed on the ballot in May.
Sturtz said more than $225 million was cut from the bond options from a variety of areas with the largest chunk coming by the way of a $132.4 million cut in cost in life cycle and priority items, or items that may need replacement or repair in the near future. Bond options that remained untouched through the process include new construction costs, such as the majority of funding for the district's fifth high school as well as funds for a 10th intermediate school and an elementary school near Springwoods Village.
"You absolutely had to do them because you had kids there that are coming, and you had to fill the seats," Sturtz said.
Nancy Radcliffe, co-chair of the 130-member steering committee, was present for the two workshop meetings Oct. 21 and 22 following a community dialogue event Oct. 20.
"We want families that move to Klein to not only have space for those students, but to have the best programming we can possibly offer and to have equity and facilities across the board," Radcliffe said.
For more information on the bond, visit www.kleinisd.net/bond2015.
