RISD Superintendent Jeannie Stone updated the community on the bond package in a Feb. 4 video. Screenshot courtesy Richardson ISD
On Monday, Richardson ISD’s board of trustees will vote on a recommendation to call the May 2021 bond election.
The board has been considering a $750 million bond package over the past month that plans to phase Lake Highlands’ junior highs into middle schools by the 2024-25 school year. The proposal includes two propositions and would not increase RISD’s tax rate.
Proposition A totals $694 million. Around $286 million of the proposition is for infrastructure and safety upgrades at every RISD campus, said district Superintendent Jeannie Stone in a Feb. 4 update video. Around $139 million of Proposition A will go towards teaching and learning support. Around $269 million will be for construction and renovation.
“A facilities audit identified the need for construction and renovation due to the age and condition of our school buildings, such as [for] Northrich Elementary School and Stults Road, both in this bond,” Stone said in the video. “[And] renovations for student safety, such as for Brentfield and Hamilton Park.”
Proposition A also includes the plans for RISD’s middle school transformation. The 2021 bond will be the first phase of this transition to renovate and transform all eight junior highs to middle schools over the next 10 years.
“Our two junior highs in the Lake Highlands learning community will undergo significant construction as part of bond 2021 to welcome its sixth graders,” Stone said.
The first sixth-grade class of Lake Highlands Middle School and Forest Meadow Middle School would come by the 2024-25 school year.
Proposition B will total $56 million to refresh technology devices for teachers, students and staff, Stone said.
“$750 million is a lot, but we can move forward with this bond package without a tax rate increase because of the fact that RISD has consistently earned the highest standalone bond ratings available to Texas school districts, which saves millions of tax dollars when issuing bonds,” she said.
The board will vote on the recommendation to call the bond election at its Feb. 8 meeting. The meeting agenda can be found here.
