Houston Chronicle by Jacob Carpenter May 1, 2019
Voters in seven Greater Houston school districts will decide Saturday whether to authorize about $3.6 billion in bonds aimed at keeping up with constantly-growing enrollments, renovating older facilities and upgrading campus security following deadly school shootings.
Districts considering large bond issues include Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, which is seeking a district-record $1.76 billion package, and Conroe ISD, which faces some Republican opposition to its $807 million proposal.
Residents of Brazosport, Channelview, Cleveland, Goose Creek and Sweeny school districts will vote on bonds ranging from $28 million to $335 million. The bonds likely would result in tax increases for most voters, though many residents would see only nominally larger tax bills if the packages pass.
School districts use bonds to finance costs associated with facility construction, transportation vehicles, technology upgrades and other capital purchases. The bond money cannot be used to pay for staff salaries, employee benefits or other day-to-day operations costs.
Locally, school bonds rarely are rejected by voters, with 66 out of 72 passing over the past decade in Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris and Montgomery counties.
In Cy-Fair, the state’s third-largest public school district, voters will decide whether to support nearly $1 billion in building renovations, as well as about $250 million for a new elementary school, middle school, administration building and performing arts center. Another $530 million would pay for technology, security and transportation upgrades.
The bond could result in the district’s property tax rate, currently at $1.44 per $100 in assessed value, rising by 3 cents over a six-year period. For a homeowner with property appraised at $250,000 with standard homestead exemptions, the final 3-cent increase would raise taxes by about $52.50 per year.
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https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-area-voters-to-decide-3-6B-in-school-13811966.phpI live in Houston but there are no bonds on the ballot for my school district, Pasadena ISD.
