Leander ISD Trustees Call For $454M Bond Referendum

LEANDER, TX — Leander ISD trustees on Thursday unanimously voted to approve a November bond referendum to raise $454 million — the first such debt issuance in a decade for the school district.

The bond was sparked in light of enrollment growth and the need for safety enhancements and building improvements for existing facilities, trustees said. The bond referendum for which trustees called for at their Thursday regular meeting would finance construction of four new schools, expansion of Vandergrift High School, improvements to school facilities district-wide and addition of Career and Technical Education (CTE) facilities at high schools and replacement of outdated technology, officials said.

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Approval for the November bond referendum was the culmination of a year-long discussions by members of the Bond Advisory Committee, made up of 155 community volunteers who reviewed and prioritized projects as part of their discussions. A steering committee presented a recommendation during the board’s June 15 regular meeting and the Board worked with administration to hone the recommendation throughout the summer, officials noted.

Should voters approve the initiative, the district will maintain its existing tax rate of $1.51 per $100 valuation, officials stressed.

“On behalf of the board, I would like to thank the bond committee and staff for their work,” board president Pamela Waggoner said. “This has been a vetted process through multiple layers to prepare the best package for students, educators and voters.”

Leander ISD’s last bond election was in 2007, district officials noted. Since that election, the district has grown by 11,828 students, with enrollment growth expected to continue by about 1,200 students per year as builders erect new homes throughout the fast-growing city, officials noted.

“After a thoughtful process of assessing the needs for Leander ISD, our goal as an administration will be to provide information to our voters,” Superintendent of Schools Dan Troxell, Ph.D., said.

With voter approval, LISD will build elementary schools 27, 28 and 29, as well as middle school #9. In addition to design, construction and furnishings for those four new schools, the bond addresses additional growth with proactive funding for design and land purchases, according to officials.

If voters approve the bond issuance, teachers and students across the district will receive new technology through replacement of outdated devices and district-wide infrastructure upgrades, totaling, $38.7 million, officials said.

The bond also addresses over-crowding at Vandegrift High School (VHS), which will exceed 2,800 students, with a new building and expanded grandstands at Monroe Stadium. Through the bond, VHS would get an additional building with 14 new classrooms, increasing capacity from 2,400 to 2,900 students, according to information provided by trustees.

Additionally, the proposition includes $3 million for design and mitigation costs tied to the construction of an access road to improve safety into Vandegrift and Four Points Middle School.

During Thursday's regular meeting, trustees discussing the Board Advisory Committee's recommendation ultimately decided on a package that reduced the technology budget for the bond by $9 million — including a $6.6 million reduction in infrastructure funding for fiber cabling and $2.4 million for projects not needed in the next four years, trustees said. Board members added optional items from the BAC recommendation, including $6.9 million for agriculture facilities at Vandegrift and Glenn high schools, $674,132 for renovations at the Leander High School agriculture facility, $872,109 for additions to the JROTC building at Vista Ridge High School, and $1.1 million for Career Technical Education (CTE) classrooms at Vandegrift and Vista Ridge high schools.

Early voting for the bond referendum will run from Oct. 23 through Nov. 3. Election day would be Nov. 7. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 10.

The Leander ISD in past years has been the subject of criticism for the size of its debt load of nearly $3 billion — nearly $1 billion in principal and another nearly $2 billion in interest. Much of the former was accumulated from capital appreciation bonds (CABs), a pay-later tactic in financing construction and other growth-related projects.

The trustees' call for a bond referendum comes on the heels of a recent similarly sized one before voters at Round Rock ISD that ultimately was rejected by voters. The ambitious $572 million bond referendum in Round Rock ultimately was deemed too extravagant by taxpayers, who voiced their disapproval at the ballot box.

The failed Round Rock ISD bond package called for items similar to what Leander ISD now seeks in three different propositions:

• Proposition 1 ($381.7 million) called for construction of a sixth high school, its 35th elementary school and assorted improvements and enhancement to aging structures. The measure was defeated, with 52 percent of registered voters casting ballots against the measure.
• Proposition 2 ($133.6 million) would have funded a career tech high school and expanded various schools, but it failed with 53 percent opposition.
• Proposition 3 ($56.8 million)called for an indoor aquatics center, athletics venues and arts facilities, but it got the thumbs down by 57 percent of those voting.

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