2023 LOCAL VOTER GUIDE
4 YEAR Eanes ISD’s last bond passed in May 2019. Here is a comparison between the 2019 and 2023 bonds. CYCLE
DID YOU KNOW?
BENEFITS OF A BOND
Sixty-four cents of every tax dollar EISD collects goes to the state through recapture. Bonds, however, are considered a debt, and the district keeps 100% of the funds.
Because of Senate Bill 30, e ective September 2019, a proposition seeking voter approval for the issuance of bonds requires ballot language that indicates a property tax rate increase. However, Eanes ISD o cials do not expect the district's property tax rate of $1.0046 to increase due to the bond.
2019 BOND
TOTAL $80M
EISD portion is whole dollar
State portion is $0.64
EISD portion is $0.36
$21.72M: facility upgrades $19.53M: student programs $17.14M: extracurricular spaces
$6.85M: security upgrades $5.2M: energy e ciency
Bond money is used for expenses such as capital expenditures, buses and technology.
The district's budget is funded largely through property taxes, a portion of which go back to the state.
$10M*: leftover funds *THE DISTRICT HAD ALMOST $10 MILLION LEFT OVER FOR FUTURE CAPITAL EXPENDITURE PROJECTS.
SOURCE: EANES ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
One example of how the district would save money is through the $6.62 million for solar installations in Proposition A, Trimble said. “If we use bond dollars to implement solar energy, we’re going to save utility dollars that will be paid for electricity, which must come out of the operations budget,” he said. Eanes ISD is subject to recapture, the method that allows the state to require property-rich school districts to pay part of their locally collected property tax revenue above their state allotment back to the state. The median housing price for the 78746 ZIP code, which encompasses EISD, was $1.42 million in January, according to data from the Austin Board of Realtors. Due to the high property values in the Westlake area, $0.64 out of every tax dollar EISD collects goes back to the state through recapture, Trimble said. School bonds, however, are considered a debt; as a result, the district gets to keep 100% of the funds, he said. “The bond dollars are very valuable to us,” he said. This is because they can only be used for certain projects, Scott said. Bond debt is issued for capital expenditures, or large items, such as construction of stadiums, security systems or facility upgrades, that will last more than a year, he said.
This means the bond cannot be used for expenses, such as teacher salaries or the school’s available fund balance. However, if voters approve the propositions, especially Proposition A, it will save EISD several million dollars, which could then be reallocated to bene t district sta through compensation, Superintendent Je Arnett said. Trimble also said the bond will not increase the district’s $1.0046 tax rate. “That was a board priority in developing this that there would not be a tax rate increase,” he said. In 2019 the Texas Legislature passed a measure requiring all bond proposals to have language that says, “This is a tax increase.” EISD o cials want to make it clear that homeowners will not see a tax rate increase as a result of the bond proposal, Trimble said. “This is going to be a big part of our bond messaging; we have to focus on that and make it clear that [there will be no tax increase]. We don’t want any surprises,” McWhorter said. Upcoming election If the voters decide not to pass the bond in May, there are several projects that will still need to be funded, Scott said. Arnett said the costs would come from the district’s regular maintenance and operation budget. Because EISD is an older district and all nine
2023 BOND
TOTAL $131.43M
$2.41M: stadium upgrades $11.25M: technology
$117.77M: facility upgrades
SOURCE: EANES ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
campuses have experienced a decrease in enrollment over the last few years, priority funds would go toward emergency items, such as the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, Scott said. Trimble said he wanted to clarify that the cost of the proposed $131.43 million bond does not correlate with decreasing enrollment. For the 2019-20 school year, there were 8,166 students in EISD. That number has decreased to 7,770 for the 2022-23 school year, according to previous reporting by Community Impact . “It’s possible future bonds could be a ected by low student enrollment,” Trimble said. “However, [this bond] is not.”
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
ltisdschools.org/enrollment
Calling all incoming kindergarten students for the 2023�2024 school year:
All Lake Travis ISD elementary schools will host “Kinder 101” on Tuesday, April 4. Parents will get a brief orientation and Q&A with the school principal and staff, while children visit classrooms and participate in fun activities. Note: Times will vary by campus; please check your school website for details.
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LAKE TRAVIS WESTLAKE EDITION • MARCH 2023
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