On Aug. 13, the Fort Bend ISD board of trustees voted in favor of placing a $992.6 million bond referendum on the Nov. 6 ballot for voters to approve. District officials have said the bond funds will address facility deficiencies, construction projects, renovations, safety and security updates, transportation, and technology upgrades.

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. The larger part funds the district’s maintenance and operations, and the smaller part pays for interest the district accrues from bonds. Revenue from property taxes does not pay for construction projects.

FBISD’s property tax rate is slated to remain at $1.32 per $100 valuation for fiscal year 2019. However, residents could see a $0.03 increase by 2021, FBISD CFO Steven Basset said.