More than 12,500 new homes are expected to be built in CISD boundaries in the next five years with more than 30,000 homes projected in the district by the time current second graders graduate high school, officials said.
CISD leaders have proposed a $2.295 billion bond program, which voters will see on the May 3 ballot, to address the district’s fast growth and meet the demands of the growing community. The bond, if approved, would not increase the district’s current tax rate, district officials said.
The big picture
The bond program includes items for new schools, purchasing land, safety and security upgrades as well as transportation and technology needs in the district. It would also start the process of opening a second high school.
The construction price tags include architectural design, engineering, furniture and inflation. District officials built 12% inflation into the proposals as the cost of construction has increased, CISD Superintendent Thomas Maglisceau said.
Every facility built will be a comprehensive school equipped with fine arts and athletics, Maglisceau said.
As the district opens more schools, CISD officials want every student to have the same experience and opportunities at every campus. Existing campuses will be evaluated for upgrades as new schools are opened, Maglisceau said.
The bond projects will be split into two propositions. All items will be included in Proposition A, except an estimated $20 million for technology devices, which will be Proposition B.
The district’s bond committee focused on what was needed for students in the district, Maglisceau said.
Projects, such as a new administration building and the 14th elementary school, were not included in the bond program as bond committee members felt those projects could wait for a future bond program, district officials said.
The operations center is a higher priority for the district as the current transportation building on the corner of Pecan Street and Preston Road is aging and becoming unsafe, Maglisceau said. The district is also running out of space for buses, he said.
District growth
CISD is projected to have over 22,291 students by the 2033-34 school year—triple its current enrollment numbers, according to high scenario estimations.
The district is expecting to open its second high school by the 2029-30 or 2030-31 school year, Maglisceau said. CISD’s high growth scenario has its high school enrollment number reaching 2,836 students—over 200 more students than Celina High School’s functional capacity of 2,625.
Across all CISD campuses, functional capacity is expected to exceed by over 2,000 students by 2027-28.
The district already has portables at Martin Elementary School, which is only in its second year of operation. New campuses will alleviate the overcrowding at CISD schools, Maglisceau said.
Celina ISD is looking to build 10 new schools in the 2025 bond program.
Zooming out
In 2024, Celina topped the list of fastest-growing cities in the nation with a population of 20,000 or more, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Celina officials estimate the city’s population will grow to more than 100,000 people by 2030.
“The growth is coming and it’s still going to come for a decade,” Mayor Ryan Tubbs said during a Celina Town Hall meeting.
Roadways are a priority for the city as it grows and the city’s demographer does not expect growth to slow down anytime soon, he said.
City officials are partnering with the school district to create roadways to the new schools, he said.
“We do have tremendous growth here, and with that, we have to be able to provide exceptional services for all of our residents,” Tubbs said.
More details
The proposed bond would not increase the district’s current interest and sinking rate. Similar to having good credit for purchasing a home, Maglisceau explained that the district’s AAA bond rating will help CISD get good rates to pay off the debt.
District voters approved a tax rate of $1.2358 per $100 valuation during the November election. This is broken down between $0.7869 for maintenance and operations, which supports payroll and other daily expenses, and $0.4489 for debt payments which helps pay principal and interest on bonds.
With the growth in the community, CISD will be able to manage the projects under its existing tax rate, Maglisceau said.
