Cy-Fair ISD will not pursue a bond referendum in May after Harris County officials said they would not have election equipment available to support the district, Superintendent Doug Killian said Feb. 5.
Killian made the announcement during a board work session after CFISD’s Long Range Planning Committee recommended the district send a $1.64 billion bond before voters to support needed infrastructure improvements, vehicle replacements and technology investments.
What’s happening
District staff and committee members were prepared to provide the board with a choice between a May or November bond election, Killian said. Texas law mandates that 2026 bond elections may only be held on two uniform election dates, May 2 or Nov. 3, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s office.
However, Killian said county officials notified CFISD two weeks ago that they could not administer the district’s election in May, meaning CFISD will have to table the proposal and bring it back to the board in early fall. The deadline to call a November election is Aug. 17.
CFISD relies on electronic voting machines from Harris County to administer elections, and Killian said it’s not “fiscally responsible” for the district to purchase its own equipment by May 2.
The cause
Harris County is administering two primary elections March 3—one for Democratic and one for Republican candidates—with an array of federal, state and local races. Several statewide races with a large number of candidates have a “high likelihood” of resulting in a runoff election, Killian said during the meeting.
A candidate must receive more than 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff election, which is less likely with a lengthy list of names on the ballot.
The primary runoff election is scheduled for May 26, per the secretary of state’s website, and early voting will start May 18. Killain said the county would not have enough resources to oversee a May 2 election due to an expected high demand for election equipment during primary runoffs.
Community Impact contacted the Harris County Clerk’s Office, which conducts county elections, for additional information, but did not receive a response before press time.
More details
The final bond recommendation from the committee included four propositions that would appear separately on the ballot, according to a Feb. 5 presentation to the board.
- Proposition A: $1.3 billion for critical infrastructure, safety and security, technology infrastructure and transportation
- Proposition B: $256 million for instructional technology
- Proposition C: $60.8 million for athletics
- Proposition D: $20.13 million for pools
After accounting for the bond referendum, CFISD’s financial advisor projected the district’s debt service tax rate for fiscal year 2026-27 will decrease by one cent, according to the presentation.
Killian said the committee condensed its initial proposal from a six-year to a five-year plan, saving the district approximately $83.4 million in inflationary costs. However, by pushing the bond election to November and further delaying the projects, Killian said the district may lose those savings, but district staff will discuss possible options to mitigate the loss.
Killian called this year’s long-range planning the best yet for the district and encouraged community members to learn more about the committee’s process and full bond proposal on the district’s website.
“It is all needs-based,” he said. “Our staff really just looked at what do we need to make sure that our infrastructure is taken care of [and] our facilities are taken care of as well.”
Looking forward
Board President Julie Hinaman recommended the board discuss the proposal during its June meeting before going on break in July, rather than waiting until mid-August to revisit the bond.
Trustees will meet again Feb. 9 for their regular board meeting in the Mark Henry Administration Building, when the board will take action on its agenda items for the month.
