Austin Independent School District trustees on Monday mulled over a proposal to place a $1.5 billion bond proposition on the November ballot – by far the biggest request for construction dollars the district has ever made. Plans include investments toward 41 items, including five new schools, and major upgrades at existing campuses to deal with overcrowding and safety issues. Trustees must make a final decision on whether to move forward with the bond election by August in order to get it on the November ballot.
Approval of the measure would set up the district’s first bond election since 2013, when voters only approved two of four propositions. Chief Financial Officer Nicole Conley told board members that the district could issue up to $1 billion in bonds without raising the current property tax rate, but any more would trigger a tax hike in 2023. That may spark some tough prioritization choices, and make the already controversial plan to move the Liberal Arts and Science Academy from LBJ High to its own purpose-built campus even more of a talking point.
Even if the board does present the full package to voters in November, it would still only be a fraction of what’s needed. AISD faces an estimated $3 billion in deferred maintenance costs – a combination of overdue repairs, delayed essential infrastructure investments, and overcrowding relief. And that doesn’t include the additional $1.6 billion in new investments recommended over the next 25 years in the latest iteration of the Facility Master Plan, as adopted in April, for a total of $4.6 billion.
This article appears in June 9 • 2017.
