The 2023 Bond addresses the refresh of aging or non-functioning devices as well as providing additional devices for projected district growth.  The district will continue with the 2:1 (students to device ratio) environment. Our teachers have access to check-out carts from the library in the event they need additional devices for an activity that requires one device for every student on a given day. Additionally, students can bring a personal device (BYOD) if s(he) chooses; however, a student-owned device is not a requirement for any classroom or curriculum activities.  Students who have a need for a laptop at home to complete course work may check out a laptop from their campus library (for up to two weeks at a time) as long as a parent/guardian has completed the Lending Library permission form in Skyward.

Providing a 1:1 environment will require additional desktop support analysts that Information Technology (IT) Division currently does not have. IT is continuing to work closely with the Teaching and Learning Department and the campuses to provide the necessary devices to support the classrooms and state accountability testing (STAAR is electronic now).  When FBISD instructional environment calls for 1:1 environment in the future, the district will develop plan to provide and fully support the 1:1 environment and ask our community for its approval through a future Bond election.

The district has 2 tax rates. Interest & Sinking fund (debt service) and Maintenance & Operations fund (M&O).  We just decreased the debt service rate by 2 pennies last fall. However, we will need to increase it by 1 penny for Bond 2023. That is where the $2.50 per month (or $30 per year) comes from for a $300,000 house.

That said, we fully expect the M&O rate to continue to go down because of the property tax compression that the state has put in place. So, even with a one penny increase on the debt side, we expect the overall tax rate to be less than $1.13.   

The M&O rate will decrease because of Senate Bill 2, which was passed in 2019.  This past year, because of high property value growth, this part of our tax rate went down 5.5 pennies due to the amount of property value growth we had (15%).  We are not expecting that much growth this year, but we do expect property value growth and that our tax rate will be pushed down again. However, it is  not possible to determine how much the reduction will be at this time.

Additionally, the state legislature is in session and are considering as much as $15B in property tax relief.  This will push the M&O tax rate down even further.  How much is also still to be determined, but we expect the total decline will be more than 1 penny.  

Remember, the school district revenue for the M&O fund is not based on our tax rate or property value growth.  It is based only on enrollment, attendance rate and student demographics (special education, bilingual, etc.).  As property value goes up, the State simply pays us less dollar for dollar. The State did pay more when the tax rate was pushed down 5.5 pennies, but in the end, because of the huge value growth of 15%, the State is still paying a lower share of our costs this year versus last year.  

No, the district will continue to pay off debt early.

Administration believes the district needs the projects included in this bond. While $1.26B is a huge amount of money, FBISD is the 6th largest district in the state with more than 80,200 students. The bond amount per student is very low compared to other bond packages passed across the state as well as bonds proposed by other school districts for May 2023. A chart with that information is included in another question in the bond FAQ.   

If the bond does not pass, the administration will likely recommend to the board that a bond election be called in November 2023. If all the same projects are on that bond, the cost of the bond will increase by $50 million due to a projected 8% inflation rate for construction. A further postponement to May 2024 could add as much as $100 million of construction inflation.  

More importantly, the projects will be delayed, and the general fund may be needed to pay for repairs to buildings and/or the IT network at a time when our teachers are underpaid compared to other districts.  

Finally, the district's reputation may suffer. An unsuccessful bond may result in families deciding to look elsewhere when relocating to the Houston area. It could also result in the district struggling to recruit teachers and excellent leaders. Both of which has the potential to impact property values.   

Not directly. The district cannot use bond funds for teacher pay.  However, if the bond does not pass, and we have a major network break down or HVAC and roof repairs, etc., and we no longer have bond contingency from Bond 2018, then our district will have to rely on the general fund to cover those expenses. Therefore, we will have that much less available for teacher pay, or to address shortages of bus drivers, police officers, nurses, etc.

By law, bond funds can only be used for capital improvements, i.e. construction, technology hardware, buses, building renovations, HVAC, etc. We can use bond funds for the salaries of employees that only work on bond projects, such as project managers. The Design and Construction department is a small department at FBISD that is funded with bond funds.  

Decades ago, it was common for Texas school districts, including Fort Bend, to have reserves set aside for maintenance issues. Unfortunately, during the past 20 years, the state funding on the general fund (Maintenance & Operations) side has continued to lag. The general fund is used to pay for teacher salaries and benefits, utilities, instructional supplies, building insurance, etc. 

There are many ways to measure how much funding schools receive. In Texas we have seen measures that our funding per student ranks as high as 41 out of the 50 states and as low as 48 out of the 50 states.  The basic allotment, which is the primary funding for school districts, was last adjusted in 2019, and inflation has increased over 14% since. Additionally,  most taxpayers in Fort Bend County have experienced significant property value growth since 2009.  Last year, value growth was 15% across the district.  Importantly, the FBISD M&O fund does not benefit from the high property value growth, which limits how much can be allocated for long-term maintenance and repairs.  

Our M&O revenue (non-bond funding) is based 100% on the number of students we have, their demographics (i.e.: special education, bilingual, career tech, etc.), and attendance rate.  Property value growth in the district does not increase M&O funding.  In the past, a reserve fund for maintenance was possible, but based on how state funding works, this is no longer feasible. If FBISD receives $100,000 more in local property tax, the state reduces its portion of funding by the same $100,000.  The state is the beneficiary of our high property value growth.  As our district collects more, the state simply pays us that much less, dollar for dollar.

Simply put, FBISD and districts across the state cannot afford to maintain a maintenance reserve fund.  The focus on the M&O side is compensation for teachers and staff, which makes up over 85% of the general fund budget.  Bond funds cannot be used for teacher salaries and other general fund expenses.  

The district has a process for evaluating projects to include in a bond election. The process used to develop the 2023 Bond is the same as what was used for both Bond 2014 and Bond 2018. The process includes:

• District administration (Design & Construction & the executive team) created the plan and reviewed the recommendations with the Bond Oversight Committee (BOC) and board members in small group meetings.
• Planning for bond 2023 started in 2018 since Bond 2018 was promoted as a bond with two parts.  The second part of the bond was supposed to be in 2021.  The 2021 bond was postponed until now.
• The inclusion of new schools like Middle School 16 (Hwy 6 and Post Oak) and Elementary School 55 (Harvest Green area) is based on the long-term student projections from the district’s external demographer.
• Student projections drove the inclusion of the Ferndell Henry renovations and additions.  This will become an elementary school to accommodate growth in the 521 corridor.  Instead of building a new elementary school, the admin team recommended the renovation of an existing building and moving the alternative school program currently at Ferndell Henry back to MR Wood where it was housed previously.
• The rebuild of Clements HS was included based on the condition of the current building and the cost to maintain it if it was not to be rebuilt.
• The rebuilds of Briargate ES and Mission Bend ES were included based on the condition of the buildings, building utilization, proximity to other campuses and charter schools. This was also part of the plan to reduce annual M&O expenses. 
  Safety and Security, Transportation, and Technology recommendations were based on input from the respective departments.  
• The inclusion of the natatorium was based on the 2018 Facility Master Plan. That plan was also updated in 2021.  The natatorium did not make the cut for Bond 2014 or Bond 2018.
• The facility deficiencies, which make up one half of Proposition A, were recommended by district staff.  After it was decided to not recommend a bond election in November 2022, district administration added $50M to the deficiency list to account for deficiencies that have progressed and now need to be addressed since so much time had passed since the last bond.
•  The original target of a bond size of $1.2B was based on the projections of the district being able to execute a bond without having a significant impact on the tax rate.  

Now that the district is almost built out, and more rebuilds will be needed in the future, the process to create the list for the next bond will likely be different and have more community input.  

Proposition A of the bond is for an estimated $1.18 billion to build a new elementary school in the northwest and a new middle school in the southeast, to renovate Ferndell Henry in the southeast and convert it to an elementary school, to rebuild Clements HS at its present site, to rebuild Briargate ES and Mission Bend ES and to provide approximately $591 million for facility deficiencies and life cycle needs. Prop A also includes an estimated $30 million for safety and security, approximately $28.9 million for up to 35 new buses, white fleet cargo and transit vehicles, and a new transit center in the southeast, plus approximately $66.9 million to upgrade the district’s IT network.
 
Prop B is for approximately $52 million for new classroom computers for students and a refresh of staff devices.
 
Prob C is for approximately $22.9 million for a swim center (natatorium) on the southeast side of the district. 

Proposition C will provide approximately $22.9 million for a competition swim center (natatorium) on the southeast side because the area does not have a facility. Student athletes in that section are spending significant time and mileage traveling to the district’s other two swim centers to train and compete.

Over 90% of the dollar value of the 2023 bond program (approximately $1.18 billion) is dedicated to addressing aging facilities, infrastructure and growth. Older facilities have mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems and equipment that are reaching the end of their useful life. These systems often have obsolete parts, break more frequently and cost more to maintain.

The bond includes funds for projects that impact every campus in FBISD.
Bond funds generally cannot be used for daily expenses like salaries, utilities, and fuel.

Clements’ foundation is sinking. Evidence is visible outside and inside the building. There are cracks in the exterior and interior walls and floors slope. In at least two classrooms, walls have spaces at the bottom large enough to pass objects underneath from one room to the next. Also, the 40-year-old plumbing has holes throughout the system.  

Yes, the school is safe for occupancy, but left as is, the issue with the foundation will worsen. Repairs would amount to an estimated $113 million, and the fix would not be long-term. It is more economical to rebuild the school for $222.9 million (the amount is in line with current costs of building new high schools).

The rebuilt Clements High School will be designed and built with a suspended slab (structural slab) with piers. The piers bypass the unstable soil to support the weight of the building. They go down deep for several feet until they reach the stable part of the ground. This method separates the foundation from the soil (suspended slab) so that the soil behavior will not impact the foundation and it does not sink or heave.

Students and staff will remain in the current building while the new school is constructed on the school’s athletic fields. Once the new school is completed, students and staff will move into it, and the old building will be demolished and turned into new athletic fields. Because of this necessary approach, construction will take about 4 years.

The new high school building would have a capacity of 2,800 students with a core built for 3,000. Presently there are 2,639 students attending Clements.

Proposition A includes an estimated $94 million ($47M each) to rebuild Briargate and Mission Bend elementary schools. Regardless of the bond election’s outcome, Briargate will consolidate with Blue Ridge next school year and Mission Bend will consolidate with Mission Glen. Enrollment at the schools is too low to economically support separate campuses. 

During construction of the new campus at the Briargate site, students and staff will be located at Blue Ridge. During construction at the Mission Bend site, students and staff will be located at Mission Glen. Construction will take about two years. 

If the bond does not pass. The consolidated campuses will be located at the Mission Glen and  Briargate sites, possibly until a future bond election passes. 

If the bond is successful, the new schools at the Briargate and Mission Bend sites will be built with a 1,000-student capacity and are planned to contain art rooms, music rooms, gymnasiums, libraries, open-concept interiors with natural light and collaboration areas, new technology and safe, fenced in play areas. The new campuses will be designed with community input. 

Approximately $9.7 million will  be spent on as many as 35 new buses -depending on pricing at the time the district is ready to purchase – plus new white fleet cargo and transport vehicles. Nearly half (220) of FBISD’s buses are more than 10 years old. Fort Bend ISD transports 35,000 students each day, across 26,000 miles. That’s greater than the circumference of the Earth.  

The new buses will have safety features like seat belts in every seat and air conditioning.

Proposition A of the bond also includes approximately $19.2 million for a new transportation center to serve the southeast side, which is growing. The last bus transportation center FBISD built was the Hodges Bend terminal 25 years ago. It was built when the district’s enrollment was only 49,000 students. Today, the district has more than 80,000 students and is projected to increase. More kids mean more buses. More buses mean more bus maintenance time and space.

A new transportation facility in the southeast region will add more work bays to provide maintenance and service, also locating it in that area will result in fewer miles traveled to provide bus service. 

Proposition A includes an estimated $30 million for additional security cameras throughout campuses, intrusion and fire alarm replacements, a new Emergency Notification System at each campus to provide open lines of communication with the FBISD police department in case of emergencies, sprinkler system upgrades, additional floor-mounted door locks for classrooms,  new police vehicles to replace aging ones, and standardized Weapons and Response Kits to equip officers with sufficient resources. 

Current planned improvements include providing:

• Mechanical, electrical and plumbing upgrades at 61 schools
• New flooring in 34 schools
• Roofing improvements in 20 schools 
• Furniture updates in 13 schools
• Renovated auditorium in 4 schools (Bush, Hightower, Marshall and Willowridge)
• Field house renovations in 3 schools (Dulles, Austin and Hightower) 
• Locker room renovations in 6 schools and new synthetic turf in 10 schools 
• Updated playgrounds at 16 schools and will receive new walking trails in 5 schools (Armstrong, Commonwealth, Lexington Creek, Oyster Creek and Pecan Grove)
• Restroom renovations in 14 schools and  will have interior and exterior painting in 18 schools
• Renovated kitchens in 13 schools

This is not the entire list. Visit www.fortbendisd.com/2023bond for the full list by school.

Newly constructed schools will be impacted by the refresh of student and staff computer devices and enhanced security measures. Additionally, several campuses will be impacted on the southeast side by improved bus service and a natatorium. 

$0 will be used for teacher or staff salaries or raises. Bond funds cannot be used for operation and maintenance expenses like teacher salaries and raises or utilities, and fuel that are unrelated to capital projects.

In the 8 years since Madden was built, soil conditions have resulted in foundation issues. Bond funds are allocated to address these issues as well as plumbing system improvements. Madden’s foundation is failing due to expansive soils and foundation/select fill design. Madden does not have a structural slab. It received a slab on grade, which has heaved due to expansive soils underneath. The select fill utilized under the slab did not meet its intended purpose. The mechanical items identified in the 2023 Bond include a boiler replacement, a chilled water pump replacement, and exhaust fans replacement. After 8 years of use, it is not uncommon to have some of these types of equipment fail.

A transparent process has been in place since 2014 when the district’s Bond Oversight Committee (BOC) began meeting. The committee has studied and helped to prioritize the district’s most crucial needs, made recommendations and provided critiques and feedback. The BOC has more than 20 members and includes community leaders, business owners, retirees, parents and staff.  The BOC meets quarterly to review progress on the 2018 bond.  Leading up to calling the 2023 bond, the BOC met more often as needed.

Fort Bend ISD’s tax rate is $1.13 – the lowest it has been in 16 years. It is also one of the lowest in the region compared to other local school districts. See table below.

Fort Bend ISD has earned AA+ bond ratings from Standard & Poors, and Fitch, two of the nation’s top rating agencies.
 
Over the last eight years, the district has efficiently managed its bond funds, saving more than $108 million by refinancing debt.
 
Due to inflation, the district estimates that a one-year delay in commencing the bond projects would result in approximately $100 million in additional costs.

A likely factor was that inflation and property value growth were very high last fall and some voters wanted to see a tax decrease. Approval of the November 2022 Voter-Approved Tax Rate Election would have kept the rate at $1.21. Also, feedback received by the district indicates some voters did not see information explaining the Voter-Approved Tax Rate Election or VATRE and others did not understand it. The district had never held a VATRE before. The purpose of the November 2022 election was to ask voters to approve more funding for the district’s Maintenance & Operations budget, which pays for teacher and staff salaries, utilities, bus fuel and other daily expenses in the district. 

Another VATRE election is not planned at this time but could occur in the future.
 
Bond elections and VATRE elections are two separate elections that serve two different purposes.

There are two separate financial buckets for Texas school districts – one is Maintenance and Operations (M & O) which covers daily expenses like teacher and staff salaries, utilities, etc. The district’s deficit is on the M & O side. The district sought approval of a tax rate election in November 2022 (a VATRE) to provide more M & O funding.

The election did not pass. The district continues to reduce the deficit through staff attrition, consolidating low enrollment campuses and trimming business expenses in areas where it is prudent to do so.  

The other financial bucket is called Interest and Sinking (I & S). By way of successful bond elections, the I & S side receives voter authorization to borrow money to pay for construction, renovations and other capital improvement projects. 

I & S funds do not pay for maintenance and operations expenses like teacher salaries and raises, utilities, fuel or other daily expenses. 

There is not a deficit on the district’s I & S side.
 
Bond elections and VATRE elections are two separate elections that serve two different purposes.

Ten years ago, Fort Bend ISD had about 71,000 students and 9,500 staff members. Today, Fort Bend has grown to more than 80,000 students and 12,000 staff members.
 
Enrollment has increased by more than 4,400 students since the last bond in 2018.

There is always room for improvement, but 84% of the district’s schools have earned “A” and “B” ratings from the TEA. The district is at or above the state and Region 4 in all tested subjects and grades. 

FBISD has 75 National Merit Semifinalists, more than any other school district in the region – also, the Dulles High Academic Decathlon team is state champs for the 7th year in a row, and they are ranked number two in the nation.

Early voting is April 24 to May 2. Registered voters can vote at any early voting location throughout the county. A list of early voting sites can be found on the district’s bond webpage at www.fortbendisd.com/2023bond. 

Election day is Saturday, May 6, 2023. 

To register to vote or to find out your registration status, call the Fort Bend County Elections Department at  (281) 341-8670, or visit VoteTexas.gov by Thursday, April 6th to register for the May 6th election.
 
To get more details and connect with the district please scan the QR code on the info sheet or go to www.fortbendisd.com/2023bond. You can also find Fort Bend ISD on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

Prior to every bond, a facility assessment is performed on all district buildings to determine the overall condition. The assessment takes a year to complete and costs $500,000 since we use third-party experts to help us. The assessment is conducted by a team of architects, engineers, and subject matter experts who complete a detailed onsite inspection and conduct extensive interviews with the campus principal and our facilities and maintenance staff.  The assessment produces a facility condition index (FCI) that our Design and Construction department uses to prioritize the work that needs to be done at each campus.  Based on the FCI, a newer campus may need more intensive work than an older campus. A detailed walk through of this process was shared with the FBISD Board of Trustees by both the architectural firm that completed the work (PBK) and our design and construction staff on February 9, 2023. That meeting is available to view here: https://fortbendisd.new.swagit.com/videos/207315

Clements High School received funds in the  2018 bond which were allocated to Fine Arts improvements (Auditorium), Special Education interior renovation, drinking fountains, turf & athletics improvements, roofing (patching, overlay), structural repairs, elevators, building security, and water softeners. All scope of work approved under bond 2018 was necessary and required.  It was only in the past few years that engineers detected the foundation issues. Shifting has become extreme. A decision was made to re-build the Field House ahead of time due to the same issues.

Malala received an upgraded structural slab, not a slab on grade. Malala does not have the same builder as Madden Elementary. Malala was built buy Drymalla, while Madden was built by Bartlett Cocke. The schools did have the same Architect – AutoArch.

Elkins High School’s funding is based on identified needs for that particular campus. Funding is allocated based on need, not  feeder patterns. Component failures occur differently at each campus, thus generating differences in funding. An attempt is made to address educational adequacy components across the district, but needs are very different for each campus.

Campuses are to be evaluated thoroughly through a comprehensive facilities assessment in preparation for each bond. Facilities assessments were completed in preparation of the anticipated 2021 bond, which was  postponed to 2022 and later to 2023. The district’s Facilities and Design & Construction teams update campus needs based on improvements or failures along the way.

The district has over $1.5 billion in debt.  The table below shows how the amount of outstanding debt has changed since Bond 2018 was passed.  Since that time, we have issued more than $850 million in new debt, but we have also paid off more than $272 million as well.  In addition, we have aved almost $53 million in the refinancing of bond debt.  When our voters give the district authorization to issue debt, we wait as long as possible to issue the debt. 

FBISD is now the 6th largest district in the State.  The best way to compare debt between districts is to do it on a per student basis.  Our debt per student is low compared to our peer districts:

Bond refundings have been done by school districts for years.  Since 2014, the district has saved over $108 million. 

The state does not provide school districts with adequate funding to afford competitive pay for teachers and staff as well as computer devices.  Districts across the state have included computers in bonds for years.
 
It is important that we pay off the cost of computer devices that we finance with bond funds as quickly as possible. The table below shows that we are successful in doing that.  We compare the weighted average maturity of our debt issued with the weighted average useful life of the assets that are financed.  It would not be a financially sound practice if the debt lasted longer than the life of the assets. i.e. funding something for 10 years that lasts 5 years.