Klein ISD The school district's latest recommendations for its 2015 bond referendum would increase the district's property tax rate by no more than 10 cents in the next eight years, raising the average KISD homeowner's property taxes by about $12.99 per month at the peak of the increase. Superintendent Jim Cain presented an updated list of bond recommendations to the KISD board of trustees Dec. 8. Cain said the most recent recommendations include $498.1 million in total costs. The largest piece of the bond package costs comes from $279.1 million in new construction, Cain said. New projects proposed in the bond include High School No. 5, Intermediate School No. 11, Elementary School No. 33 and another Early Childhood/Pre-K Center. "We feel this represents a very good bond package, a very tight package," Cain said. "We believe this focuses on the needs [of the district]." The KISD board was set to vote on the recommendations Jan. 12, but results were unknown at press time. Through the steering committee process for the bond, an initial total for bond costs was set at $725.6 million following the second meeting in September. If voters had approved those recommendations, the district's property tax rate would have risen by 16 cents in the next eight years. "After the second steering committee meeting, we went back to the drawing board with my senior leadership, and we took a long, hard look at that situation," Cain said. "It was our determination that the 16 cent increase was too much." The bond package was reduced by $227 million by the third meeting in October. Then KISD opted to use reserve funds to pay for $8.4 million in technology costs within the bond, Cain said, ultimately cutting the peak tax rate increase to 10 cents. Based on the latest recommendations, an average home in the district worth $155,866 would see a tax increase of $5.20 per month in 2015–16. The tax rate increase would rise to $11.69 per month the following year and then to $12.99 per month the next four years before dropping to $9.10 in 2021–22 and $7.90 in 2022–23. If the board approved the recommendations Jan. 12, residents will vote on the bond in May.