BY BROOKE SJOBERG
Explained
Budget comparison FY 2014-2015 • Enrollment: 46,840 • Total: $361.32M
Should the bond pass, it would free up money in the district’s already tight budget. Funds spent on salaries and benefits of RRISD employees have increased by about 14% over the last decade, district documents show. Covington said the district made meaningful cuts to remedy an initial $30 million shortfall by eliminating unfilled positions and reassigning employees. Last year, the district passed a budget with a $21 million deficit. RRISD estimates the state will provide about half the funding the district received a decade before, despite having similar enrollment. The district is also expecting to pay an estimated
$19.9 million back to the state due to recapture, a process also known as Robin Hood that takes excess tax dollars from property-rich districts and redistributes them to poorer districts. With a lack of an increase of state funding and rising operations costs, Azaiez said school districts are put in difficult positions when it comes to bud- geting for positions and performing maintenance. Azaiez said an influx of bond dollars would allow the district to better distribute its mainte- nance and operations funds, as the majority of the money would go to replacing large-scale items, such as ventilation systems and roofs.
Local $259,039,642
State $99,183,565
Federal $3,100,000
FY 2024-2025 • Enrollment: 46,485 • Total: $466.05M*
Local $410,889,499
State $52,153,000
Federal $3,006,000
* THE DISTRICT WILL PAY AN ESTIMATED $19.9 MILLION BACK TO THE STATE DUE TO RECAPTURE.
What they’re saying
What’s next?
As the largest bond package ever proposed by the district, the $998.14 million has prompted strong reactions from the RRISD community. Trina Martin, a former Round Rock High School parent and fine arts education advocate who served on the citizens bond committee, or CBC, suggested many of the proposed projects could have already been paid for by the district in its regular budget if the state had increased the base amount of per-student funding. Jill Farris, a district parent who participated on the citizens bond committee and previously ran for a board seat in 2022, said she would have preferred a bond amount closer to $600 million, but was not altogether against the proposal. She encouraged parents who have a vested interest in projects to advocate for them to the school board, especially if there is a need on their child’s campus. District parent and substitute nurse Natalie Bogue said she is generally in support of all four propositions, especially Proposition D, as it would allow the district to no longer hold athletic games on Thursday nights. An additional competition facility would prevent late-night games and shorten the driving distance for families who live on the other side of the district. As a resident of 20 years, Bogue said the timing and size of the bond feels proportional to the level of growth in Round Rock. “I feel like we did a great job at the beginning, getting facilities out there, and it’s just time for a lot of these things to be updated,” she said.
All four propositions will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot, along with a board election for trustees to serve in places 1, 2 and 7. The district ratified its fiscal year 2024-25 tax rate of $0.8931 in September, which includes a $0.015 decrease to the debt service rate, as well as a decrease of $0.0109 to the maintenance and operations rate. If passed, the bonds will not result in an increase or decrease in the current tax rate, district officials said. Lindsey Ledyard, a district parent and co-chair of the CBC, said should the bond fail, the needs identified within the district will not go away. “If anything, the needs continue to grow and the cost continues to grow,” Ledyard said.
“I don’t know how you could feel good about not voting for it, knowing
that there are parts of our school district that are in such disrepair.” JILL FARRIS, RRISD PARENT AND CBC MEMBER
“You don’t have to look very far to see people struggling to pay the rent, looking for a second job, struggling to put food on the table for their
children. I think the bond that’s being asked for here is too large, given these economic circumstances.” DANIELLE WESTON, RRISD PLACE 7 TRUSTEE
Tax impact $0.8931 FY 2024-25 tax rate per $100 home valuation 0% tax rate impact for FY 2024-25 from passage or failure of bonds
Bogue said she is also not feeling fatigued by the frequency of bonds put forth to voters in the area, as the city of Round Rock and Williamson County have both sent large bond packages to voters in recent years. She says this is because she researches the proposals and finds them worth the expense.
$3,422 in taxes for a median home valued $383,201
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CEDAR PARK - FAR NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION
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