If all four propositions are approved, PISD would be able to spend a total of $1,495,638,000 for “critical” projects in the district, 2022 Future Forward Task Force co-chairs Rick Cinclair and Marshall Jackson said on Aug. 2.
“We as a district ... need this bond to be competitive and to not fall behind other districts,” trustee Lauren Tyra said.
During the Aug. 16 meeting, the board approved some changes to the bond package from what was presented to them on Aug. 2 by the task force. Proposition A will total $1.17 billion to cover the majority of the work needed in the district. The increase from the previously discussed $1.16 billion total for the proposition was due to a recommendation for baseball and softball stadium renovations to be included there instead of in Proposition D.
If approved by voters, Proposition A will fund major and minor districtwide renovations, including projects for safety and security; infrastructure and transportation; fine arts; technology; athletics; career and technical education; and more.
Proposition B is for $173.45 million for instructional technology, Proposition C could give PISD $130 million for a district event center; and Proposition D totals $19.21 million that would be used for stadium renovations and new turf.
Johnny Hill, PISD deputy superintendent for business and employee services, said Proposition D will also allow the district to make safety improvements to the parking lot at John Clark Stadium. Proposition D was previously presented to the board at more than $27.81 million.
Board President David Stolle said he is confident in the district’s ability to quickly pay off the debt.
"I'm very proud of the way that we've managed our debt," he said. "For 35-40 years this was a fast growing community that issued bonds to build new buildings. We're not that anymore. ... We're going to ask our voters whether or not they trust us to use these the dollars in a way that we say we're going to use them, which is exactly what we've done for the last 11 years.”
In total, the district is in need of more than $2.24 billion in projects, but that was cut by about a third to land at the $1.49 billion total, the task force co-chairs said earlier this month.
The district is able to issue up to $1.52 billion without increasing the district’s property tax rate, Hill said on Aug. 2. The proposed bond was suggested without knowledge of the district’s threshold for a tax increase. District officials said the task force worked for more than five months on the bond package recommendation.
Nearly 79% of district voters passed a $481 million bond in May 2016. That bond provided funds for districtwide renovations, the fine arts center, technology improvements, early childhood education and more.
The board also called an election to get voter approval for its property tax rate of $1.25975 per $100 valuation as that rate exceeds exceeds the district's voter-approved tax rate.
If approved, the election would bring around $9 million in funds for the district without changing the amount of property taxes, district officials said.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct attribution of a quote to trustee Lauren Tyra.
