Bond Steering Committee Recommendations
February 7, 2023
Agenda
• Overview of the Committee
• Scope of Review
• Recommendations
• Next Steps
Overview of Committee
Committee
• The committee consisted of 29 citizens
• Members were nominated to ensure a representative cross-section of the LPISD community
• Parents & Non-Parents
• Campus & District Staff
• Community & Business
• Mix of Backgrounds & Geographic Representation
• Objective: Obtain multiple perspectives of district needs
Committee Charge
• Consider the educational needs of all students
• Align recommendations with the district’s mission, vision and goals
• Consider the community needs in the facility planning process
• Assess and prioritize the current and long-term facility needs
• Develop a recommendation that is fiscally sound without a tax increase
Committee Meetings
• The committee met and explored the possibility of a bond for over 18 months
• Meetings consisted of facility tours, needs assessment review, district financial studies, surveys, and stakeholder input
Committee Members
• Committee member recognition
Committee Representativ es
Ed Matuszak
Kelly Greenawalt
Scope of Review
Scope of Review
• State of the District
• Input from Teachers, Staff, and other Stakeholders
• District Tax and Financial Information
• School Finance
• Construction Costs and Inflation
• Community Survey Results
• Bond History
• Campus Tours
District Financial Information
• LPISD’s last bond was in 2014 for $260M.
• Since then, LPISD’s taxable value (which is determined by the County Appraisal District, not La Porte ISD) has more than doubled.
• This has freed up the district to pay bonds off early, refinance debt at lower interest rates and save taxpayers more than $32M.
District Financial Information
• LPISD is subject to recapture, meaning a large portion of the maintenance and operations budget must be taken from the district and sent to the state.
• This year, the district was required to send $55M to the state.
• Due to recapture, LPISD must include funds for general maintenance and operations in bond referendums.
District Financial Information
• Since the last bond, LPISD has been able to reduce the tax rate by nearly 20 cents, making it the lowest it’s been in over 15 years.
• This fiscal responsibility has positioned the district to have additional bonding capacity to address aging and evolving needs without increasing the Interest & Sinking (debt service) tax rate.
• It was important to both the District and the Committee that the bond package not require a tax increase.
Ed Matuszak
Recommendat ions
Recommendations Overview
Based on all information studied, the committee reached a positive consensus that each project in the recommendation tonight should be included in the bond referendum
Recommendatio ns
• The Bond Steering Committee is recommending the LPISD Board of Trustees call for a $235,000,000 bond election to address safety & security, aging facilities and evolving campus needs across the entire district at a no tax rate increase.
Recommendatio ns
• The structure of bond propositions will be decided by the Board with input from Bond Counsel, but based on state law that requires specific items be on their own proposition, our recommendation is broken up into three propositions for voters.
• PROP A: $164M
• PROP B: $15M
• PROP C: $56M
PROPOSITION
“A”: $164,000,000 Campus/District Needs
PROPOSITION “A” EXAMPLE: ADDRESSES EACH CAMPUS
Proposition “A”: Additional Highlights
• Safety & Security:
• Silent panic systems, security film, perimeter fencing, communication upgrades
• Educational Center/Field house:
• Professional development space, community space, new weight room, locker rooms, equipment storage
• Fine Arts Upgrades:
• Fine Arts enhancements to each campus, supplies, tools, kiln room repairs, equipment and more.
• Transportation:
• New buses and fleet replacement
• Additional Improvements at Each Campus:
• Academic and core space improvements including new furniture, restroom repairs, STEM additions, gym renovations, and more.
• Lomax Junior HS:
• New gym
• Fine Arts Renovation
• La Porte High School:
• Entry renovation
• Gym renovation
PROPOSITION
“B”: $15,000,000
TECHNOLOGY
PROPOSITION
“B”:
• Technology Devices:
• 1:1 devices for students, teachers, and staff K-12.
• Teacher technology standard –docking stations, monitors, wireless access
• This accounts for buying new technology devices in phases over the next 10 years as they reach the end of their life cycle.
PROPOSITION “C”: $56,000,000 Bulldog Stadium
PROPOSITION C: New Bulldog Stadium
• The new Bulldog Stadium would sit on the same site, but include additional seating, a new press box, locker rooms, 8 lane track, and more
• Enhance safety & security, fully ADA & UIL compliant
Dr. Bromley
Tax Impact
• As mentioned earlier, our recommendation is well within La Porte ISD’s bonding capacity and does not require a tax rate increase.
• However, in 2019, House Bill 3 was adopted, which requires the below ballot language for all school bond elections, regardless of the actual impact on the district’s tax rate.
Next Steps
Next Steps
▪ Deadline to Call the Election:
Friday, February 17
▪ Deadline to Register to Vote:
Thursday, April 6
▪ Early Voting: Monday, April 24 –
Tuesday, May 2
▪ Election Day: Saturday, May 6, 2023
Questions?
“And remember no tax increase”
Thank you!