School district re-evaluates failed bond, may call for election
In the Nov. 8 general election last year, Dripping Springs ISD voters did not approve any of the propositions included in the 2022 bond referendum. Now, a version of that same bond may be back up for election.
According to the district, the $481.1 million bond package (which included a second high school, an expanded middle school and a sixth elementary school) was sorely needed, with three of the district’s eight campuses over capacity and two more campuses expected to outgrow their capacity next year. But despite a thorough community outreach initiative, DSISD residents voted “no” on each of the district’s three bond propositions. In hopes of understanding why the bond failed, the school district hired Baselice & Associates, Inc. to conduct a survey late last year.
The results of the survey, presented earlier this year, seemed to reflect one major, underlying issue: a lack of public trust in the district.
When specifically asked about their trust and confidence in the DSISD Board of Trustees and district administration, 42% of respondents said they had “some,” while 26% had little to none. Of those that said they had little or no trust, most cited “negative comments about DSISD/political comments” as their primary reasoning, according to the survey.
Approval of the bond was not expected to result in a change to the 2022— 2023 tax rate, which is $1.2929 per $100 of certified property value, according to DSISD. Although the rate itself is lower than in 2021—2022 ($1.3103), this year’s tax rate was still considered an increase, since the district will make more revenue in property taxes than it did last year. This is, in large part, due to increased property values.
In the district survey, 63% of people said they recalled “seeing, reading or hearing anything about how the official ballot language would state the bond would be a property tax increase, but that the property tax rate would actually not increase.”
However, of those 63%, 55% said they believed taxes would still increase as a result of the bond.
Twelve percent of the 63% were unsure while nine percent of those were confused.
Still, projections for DSISD expect a significant increase in students over the next few years. Currently, student enrollment sits at 8,539 students for the DSISD 2022–2023 school year. In five years, that number is expected to reach 12,189; in ten, 15,800. Whether they have a bond or not, Dripping Springs needs more schools, and it does not have much time to build them.
Unfortunately, according to DSISD Superintendent Dr. Holly Morris- Kuentz: “There is no other funding mechanism for school buildings other than a bond,” she said. “No state aid is available for buildings. The purpose of a bond is very specific, and it cannot be used for any operating expenses.”
Faced with the potential of overcrowding, the district has spent the last few months re-evaluating its 2022 bond through a series of workshops. These workshops took another look at existing conditions on each of the campuses, analyzing the continued need for a bond. At some campuses, these needs included health and safety concerns, such as singlepane windows at Dripping Springs Elementary School.
The workshops also re-configured pricing estimates for each of the projects potentially included in the bond, most of which increased due to an inflation rate of 6–8% over the past year. Building a second high school in 2023 would have a price tag of a little over $215 million, but waiting even just a year puts the cost at $232.5 million, according to figured published by the district.
Overall, the failure of the 2022 bond has come at a significant cost for DSISD. In addition to dealing with inflation, the district had to put more funds towards portable buildings and will continue to have to do so as long as new buildings are not built. If the bond is put up for re-election, additional costs will be incurred, and the district will face higher borrowing costs due to interest rate hikes, amongst other factors.
But the underlying issue remains: public trust in the district. A mere six months will have passed since the bond’s failure if the bond goes back up for re-election in May. Only time will tell if the district can turn public opinion around that quickly and pass the bond — or if it will have to face years of overcrowding and additional spending in the future.
The DSISD Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting to consider calling for a bond election on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. For more information, visit dsisdtx.us.