Frisco ISD voters will most likely be asked to pass a $758 million bond referendum in the May 10 election.
The Frisco ISD Board of Trustees on Jan. 13 heard the preliminary bond proposal.
The board at the Feb. 10 meeting will formally decide to place the bond issue on the ballot.
A 27-member committee, including 13 returning members from the 2006 bond committee, made the recommendation after meeting six times between September and December. Representatives included parents and non-parents.
"We are the victims of our own success," said committee co-chair Buddy Minett. "We've created something that is very desirable so people want to move here, so we have to keep building."
Richard Wilkinson, deputy superintendent of business services, said the district has spent on average $10-$12 million per month from the $286 million in bonds passed in 2006.
Those funds are committed for expenditure by August 2015 and will take the district to 52,000 students.
The district is projected to have close to 66,000 students by 2020. A bond of $758 million would pay for an additional eight elementary schools, three middle schools and three high schools, plus other building additions, instructional and student support services, special programs and support facility renovations.
"Retail, commercial is coming," said committee co-chair Debbie Pasha. "It's coming because of schools and how well the schools perform, the students perform. The only way we can support this growth, which we know is coming, is to approve the buildings and the facilities that are included in this proposal."
Minett pointed out that of the $758 million, $648.7 million, or 85.6 percent of the bond proposal. That figure is important to note, he said, because the majority of the money is going strictly to the construction of schools and instructional facilities.
"That number is high compared to other school districts," Minett said. "It's not for fluff or non-essential things. We focused on what we absolutely have to have."
Frisco ISDs current tax rate is $1.46 per $100 property valuation. The debt service tax rate portion is 42 cents. Passing a $758 million bond would mean the debt service tax rate would increase to a maximum of 50 cents, according to Wilkinson. At an average Frisco ISD home value of $272,801, a 1-cent tax rate increase equals $2.15 per month.
Rezoning
The Frisco ISD Board of Trustees on Jan. 13 approved the elementary zoning as originally proposed by the district's demographics team.
The rezoning took place to accommodate the opening of four new elementary schools, one in each quadrant of the district.
The zone for Tadlock and Sem elementaries was also adjusted to alleviate crowding at Tadlock.
The elementary school rezoning completes the rezoning school's rezoning process for the school year.
In December, the board agreed on zones to accommodate the opening of Independence High School in August 2014. The rezoning affected three high schools—Centennial High School, Liberty High School and Heritage High School.
