On Monday, the Frisco ISD board of trustees asked district staff to reduce the current bond proposal by $4 million before it formally vote to call a bond election Aug. 20.

To reduce the $695 million proposed bond, the board plans to add turf to baseball and softball fields at three high schools instead of five as suggested in the original bond proposal. This would bring the proposed bond to $691 million.

Chief Financial Officer Kimberly Pickens said if any of the proposed bond projects cost less than what was planned, that savings could go toward other projects, such as turf for fields.

Board Member Steve Noskin also suggested reducing the proposed amount for a fine arts auditorium. The bond proposal earmarks $43 million for an auditorium, but that cost could be reduced if the district were to find a partner to split the cost. Several board members expressed hesitancy with reducing the amount for the auditorium out of concern of being able to find the right partner.

The board is expected to call for a bond election and a tax ratification election Aug. 20. The tax election would propose increasing the district's maintenance and operations tax rate by 13 cents. In turn, the board is expected to adopt a tax rate that reduces the interest and sinking tax rate by 15 cents. This would reduce the combined tax rate by 2 cents for a total of $1.44 per $100 valuation.