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Leander ISD officials are continuing to map out a potential November 2026 bond and voter-approval tax rate election.
Chief Operations Officer Jeremy Trimble provided the board of trustees with the latest update during the July 23 board meeting.
The big picture
A potential VATRE would help LISD's operational challenges by increasing the district's maintenance and operations tax rate by $0.03, Trimble said.
According to Trimble, the state provides districts with two funding mechanisms in order to operate. Payroll accounts for 88% of M&O expenditures, leaving 12% for "everything else" such as maintenance projects, technology support, security, utilities, insurance and supplies, while interest and sinking expenditures fund bond debts used for capital projects such as campus modernizations, HVAC and roof replacements, safety and security improvements, and purchasing school buses and land.
LISD has a current tax rate per $100 of valuation of $0.7569 for M&O and $0.33 for I&S.
LISD is facing pressure on both the M&O and I&S tax rates, Trimble said. The M&O rate is increasingly reliant on state funding, while larger homestead exemptions have reduced LISD's overall tax base on the I&S side.
The potential bond is tied to capital challenges LISD faces, Trimble said.
According to Trimble, LISD has 10 campuses that will reach its targeted 25-year lifecycle milestone between 2026 and 2030, with an additional 13 campuses reaching that 25-year mark between 2031-35.
These aging facilities often need its major systems and components to be replaced or modernized after reaching this stage in its life cycle, Trimble said.
"How do we responsibly care for and renew the same facilities that our community invested in over a quarter century ago?" Trimble said. "It can require reinvestment in the facilities that we have in order to maintain that student experience."
Something to note
Trimble said the district could face various delays if a bond or VATRE is not on the November ballot.
If a November bond is not passed and delayed to a future bond, the district would lose a full construction year and could also be impacted by potential changes to school bond requirements made by the 90th Texas Legislature, which will convene between January-June 2027.
If a November VATRE is not passed, considerations around staff compensation increases would become "very difficult" given other operating priorities, Trimble said.
On the other hand
Several board members expressed concern that the district would not be ready to go to bond or pass a VATRE by November.
"I think we still have work to do to gain that [community] trust," trustee Anna Smith said. "We still have other projects from 2023 [bond], that's the elephant in the room. ... I need to see a complete communication plan. I also need to see what the risks look like as far as waiting until possibly May."
Looking ahead
The Citizens Facility Advisory Committee is slated to present project recommendations at the July 30 board meeting, followed by further board discussion Aug. 6 to address any questions and next steps.
The last day to call for a November bond or VATRE is Aug. 17.
