Friendswood ISD’s board of trustees reviewed preliminary plans for a potential bond that could go before voters in May at its Jan. 22 workshop session.
The overview
The drafts include plans for three potential propositions totaling $85 million, including:
- Proposition A: Westwood replacement, critical infrastructure replacements, safety and security, buses and land
- Proposition B: New agricultural science center
- Proposition C: Technology
The cost The proposed bond would result in a projected interest and sinking, or I&S, tax rate increase of $0.0513 per $100 of valuation, FISD’s Chief Financial Officer Amber Petree said at the workshop.
For a home valued at $500,000, this increase would translate to approximately $184.68 per year, or $15.39 per month, according to district documents.
By comparison, the district’s failed 2025 bond proposal was projected to increase the tax rate by $0.16 per $100 of property value, based on projected taxable values for 2025.
For the same $500,000 home, the estimated increase would have been roughly $576 annually, or $48 per month.
The comparison
The new bond proposal differs from the November 2025 bond in several ways, including:
Proposition A, now $67.8 million, was projected to cost $154.72 million in 2025. The updated plan keeps the Westwood Elementary campus replacement but removes the Bales Intermediate campus replacement, career and technology education expansions, University Interscholastic League, or UIL, extracurricular upgrades and the inclusive playground.
Proposition B, now $15.2 million, shifts funding from technology under the 2025 proposal to an Agricultural Science Center, which had been part of the previous CTE expansions included in the original Proposition A.
Proposition C, now $2 million, is now focused on technology upgrades and replacements. In the 2025 bond, technology funding had been part of Proposition B.
The new plan also removes the original Proposition C, which focused on softball and baseball field upgrades and turf improvements, and eliminates Proposition D entirely, which had been designated for tax note refinances.
“We need to show the community that we’ve listened by fixing our language and clearly identifying our critical priorities,” board member Rebecca Hillenburg said at the workshop.
What’s next
The board of trustees plans to further review draft proposals at its Jan. 28 workshop in the FISD boardroom, located at 302 Laurel Drive, Friendswood.
