The district has hired Huckabee Communications to not only help select the committee but also assist with community outreach.
The district has historically operated on a five-year bond cycle. Bond elections ask taxpayers for permission to issue debt to pay for one-time, large-scale expenses, such as school construction or repairs, bus purchases, or equipment and technology for schools. Bonds are paid off through the debt service portion of RISD’s property tax rate.
Superintendent Jeannie Stone stressed the importance of the 5-year cycle in order to maintain facilities and keep RISD competitive with surrounding districts.
“I think it’s important for everyone to understand that Richardson ISD is on a five-year bond cycle, and we will always be unless we restructure everything that we do,” Superintendent Jeannie Stone said. “With that being said, we want to do that really well, and we want to do that very transparently.”
RISD trustees, employees and residents are encouraged to nominate potential members of the committee through a link on the district’s website, said Lesley Weaver, client communications director for Huckabee Communications. Members of the community are also welcome to nominate themselves.
“The committee is going to study everything from facility conditions to school capacities to financial information,” Weaver said.
Members should come from different backgrounds, such as people with varying levels of involvement in the district, representatives from all four feeder patterns, and district students and staff, Weaver said.
“You want to make sure you have got a wide group of citizens on the committee,” Weaver said.
The committee will meet several times in the fall before presenting recommendations for bond projects to the board Dec. 7. The board will then finalize the bond package in February and begin voter outreach efforts. Early voting will be held April 19-27, and election day is May 1.
Nominations must be submitted by June 1 via a form that will be available on the district’s website. Invitations will be sent to selected committee members in July, according to the presentation.
