On May 5, voters approved a $575 million bond referendum for Humble ISD and a $200 million bond referendum for New Caney ISD. District officials have said the majority of the bond funds will pay for the construction of new facilities or the expansions of older schools.


School districts primarily use bond funds for large-scale capital improvement projects because money to do so is not included in districts’ annual budgets.


Districts receive funding from state, federal and local sources, with the primary local funding source coming from property taxes. A school district’s tax rate consists of two parts, with the larger part funding the district’s maintenance and operations and the smaller part paying interest the district accrues from bonds. Revenue from property taxes does not pay for construction projects.


Districts that are experiencing rapid growth, such as NCISD and HISD, may need to hold bond elections more often to build enough facilities to keep pace with growing student enrollments.