To keep up with the growth, upgrade aging facilities and enhance security equipment, AISD is asking voters for a $380.1 million bond. The bond will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot after the district’s board of trustees approved calling for the election at its June 11 meeting.
The bond proposition would fund more than $224.5 million for new campus construction, including two new elementary schools and a junior high school; $144 million for renovating aging campuses; $14.1 million for security upgrades; and $12.5 million for securing future land sites, according to district documents.
The overview
The upcoming $380.1 million bond follows the $480.5 million bond approved in 2018. Similar to this bond package, that bond was aimed toward anticipated district growth, according to the district’s website.
The 2018 bond resulted in five new campuses, two replacement campuses, renovations to existing campuses and land for future schools.
The 2018 bond projects were also completed $15 million under budget. The 2024 bond’s projects are worth $395.1 million, but the savings from 2018 bring the total new funds needed down to $380.1 million, according to bond proposal documents.
Since the 2018 bond was passed, student enrollment increased by nearly 16%, or about 4,095 students, according to the Texas Education Agency. A 2024 study from Zonda Demographics suggests that trend will continue over the next decade, with the district expected to add hundreds of students each year over the next decade.
Along with recommending two new elementary schools and a junior high school, the CAC recommended the following in the bond proposition:
- Replacement campus for Disney Elementary and Stevenson Primary
- Renovations and additions to Manvel High School and Alvin High School
- Updating security vestibules, monitoring equipment and purchasing backup generators
- Acquiring future land sites
If the bond is passed, residents will see a tax rate decrease of $0.02, according to bond proposition documents.
The board of trustees adopted a tax rate of $1.17 per $100 valuation for the 2024-25 fiscal year at its Sept. 10 meeting. AISD Chief Financial Officer Daniel Combs said that rate would drop to $1.15 if the bond is approved.
“The new rate of $1.15 would be the ceiling for the life of this bond package, ... so the rate would stay at $1.15 or below,” Combs said. “Our taxpayers certainly can anticipate a tax rate decrease should the bond be approved or [not].”
Combs also noted with the current homestead exemption, homeowners could see an $80 savings on their tax bills if the bond is approved.
The district would be able to lower the current tax rate with the new bond because, if approved, it would replace the 2018 bond, Combs said. The current tax rate accounts for the 2018 bond. However, it’s unclear what the tax rate might be if the bond fails as that will remain up to the board of trustees to vote on at a future date. Options could include:
- Lowering the tax rate as no new debt is being created
- Keeping the tax rate the same to continue paying off other debt
- A combination of the first two options
Development on the west side is creating a need for more schools in the district.
What they said
Travis McGuire, an AISD parent and a member of the CAC, called the proposal in a Sept. 27 email “an essential investment in the future of our community.”
“AISD has seen significant growth for over a decade, and that trend is going to continue,” he said. “Many of our schools simply will not have the space to continue providing the level of education our kids deserve.”
Sarah Lee, a parent of two AISD children, said she is skeptical about adding more schools and feels like the district is struggling to maintain current campuses.
“I feel like a lot of the schools are getting run down and needing help,” she said. “[The district] wants to keep getting new nice things and building new nice things, and not putting money where it needs to go.”
Looking ahead
AISD’s board of trustees called for the bond in June. If voters approve it in November, district documents show the projects could go on through 2031, with the first bid and permitting starting in mid-2025. The last project expected to be completed if the timeline holds is the work at Alvin High School.
The timeline would be close to the same amount of time as the 2018 bond, which wrapped up six years after it was passed, documents show.
