WISD/Huckabee

The District is asking for $59,250,000. The actual estimate for the project costs at this time is $59,053,050. The bond election amount was rounded up to the nearest quarter million, and this rounding amount will provide a contingency for variances in the project costs.

The new bonds, if approved by the voters, will require an additional 8 cents. However, this additional tax rate for voted bonds will occur at the same time as the tax rate reduction for the maintenance and operations (M&0) of the District as required by the new legislation adopted by the Texas Legislature in the Spring of 2006.

2005/06	$1.7208	(M&O = $1.4858 and I&S = $.235)
2006/07	$1.5975	(M&O = $1.3575 and I&S = $.240)
2007/08	$1.3500	(M&O = $1.0300 and I&S = $.320,includes the new bonds)

So, for example, a taxpayer with a $150,000 valued home, after the state-mandated $15,000 exemption, will pay approximately $500 less in taxes in January 2008 than they did in January 2006, even if the bond passes. For a $250,000 home, the tax reduction from January 2006 to January 2008 even with the new bonds will be approximately $870.

Taxpayers 65 years of age and older who have applied for and received the Age 65 Freeze on their homestead will not pay any amount of school taxes on their homes above their frozen level even with a successful bond election. The amount of reduced taxes from the recent legislation will have to be calculated by each individual on a case by case basis.

Why is this bond being called at this time and how will it address the future of our district?

The District experienced growth of approximately 300 students throughout the course of the 2005-2006 school year. With this student growth and projected community growth, the WISD School Board hired an independent company to conduct a demographic study of the District. The study concluded that “Waxahachie ISD has become a fast growth district.” It is projected that WISD schools as a whole will be over functional enrollment capacity by the 2007-2008 school year.

This bond election will address these capacity realities and provide facilities for our growing student population. Also addressed in the bond issue is the completion of the Wilemon Building Renovation/Conversion into Global High School. (For more information on this project, see the following questions.) Turner Middle School will be renovated for use by DEAP, District Childcare, Curriculum and Head Start. Waxahachie High School will receive capital improvements such as an HVAC upgrade to vocational classrooms, parking lot resurfacing and technology purchases for faculty. Marvin Elementary School will receive a parking lot expansion of 50 spaces and a new drive for parent pick-up/drop-off and Dunaway Elementary School will receive 50 new parking spaces.

The District used demographic projections and met jointly with the Waxahachie City Council to discuss new home developments. We are locating the new facilities close to where the students are coming from. Today, the District owns two sites that fit the criteria of location in fast-growth areas and sufficient acreage size for a school facility.

The new elementary school will be built North of Highway 287- the fastest growing area in the District- and will serve 650 students. The new 6th Grade Center will be built on land currently owned by the District on Parks School House Road south of Highway 287 and will serve 750 students (with core spaces designed for 800). The New Junior High School will be built on land currently owned by the District on Broadhead Road, north of 287, adjacent to the City athletic fields and will serve 800 students.

Facility	Construction Begins	School Begins
New Elementary	June 2007	August 2008
New 6th Grade Center	March 2007	August 2008
New Junior High	June 2007	August 2008

Why not just renovate and/or add on to Turner Middle School instead of building a new facility?

Turner Middle School will be over capacity in 2007. Instead of spending money to add on to the facility, the District has chosen to build a new facility for the students and renovate the vacated building to move several District programs currently spread across the District: DEAP, District Childcare, Curriculum and Head Start. The higher cost to bring the building to current educational delivery methods as set forth by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) – i.e. appropriate classroom sizes – makes it more conducive to alternative uses such as these. Also, a new facility will better handle the increase in student enrollment that is expected in the future.

The District already owns the 22 acres and has an agreement with the city of Waxahachie to use the practice fields located there. The upkeep of the fields will be paid for by the city and will not cost the District additional money. The location of the Junior High is also located in the fastest growing area of the District: north of Highway 287. The existing Junior High and the proposed new Junior High will be served by separate thoroughfares.

Based on the demographer’s projections, a new elementary school will be needed by the 2010-11 school year. A new high school will also be needed in the next several years. However, the Wilemon renovation into Global High School (addressed in this bond) will alleviate growth in the high school populations during this time.

In this bond, the District is focusing on the areas with the most capacity strain as determined by the demographer. The District did not want to put excessive burden on our taxpayers. We want to use the 2006 bond projects to build trust with the community before asking for additional money for schools that we won’t need for several more years.

The T.C. Wilemon Building, the District’s oldest campus currently serving the Alternative Education Program, will be transformed into the new Waxahachie Global High School. The building is planned to undergo a complete renovation, returning it to its original turn-of-the-century design while incorporating state-of-the-art technology. The third floor renovation of the Wilemon Building has already been completed and restored to a more historically-accurate state. This bond will address the completion of the first and second floors as well as the replacement of all exterior windows to make them more historically accurate.

Global High will serve traditionally underserved and underachieving students who possess high IQs, but score low on tests. Students will be given the opportunity to be placed in this non-traditional setting to increase their performance. They will be fully engaged in learning via an academically rigorous environment focused on community, communication, and citizenry for the purpose of preparing for entrance in post-secondary education and succeeding in today’s high-tech economy and world-wide citizenry.

The mission of Waxahachie Global High will be to immerse students in a smaller, non-traditional learning community that captures their talents to build lifetime achievement through the integration of technology and academics in chosen academic career paths preparing them for success in a global society.

Is there any way to fund this other than a bond? Can’t we use savings instead?

The cost of capital needs far exceed the amount of savings that the District maintains and the District cannot generate enough new tax revenue to buy these items now. Therefore, it is prudent to finance big cost items over the useful life of the asset.

The District will closely monitor all spending of bond funds and ensure that expenditures are in full compliance with all accounting rules and standards. For patrons, a detailed line-item list of proposed projects and the estimate of costs is available online as a link to "Proposed Projects." This list was reviewed and approved by the Board of Trustees. By law, bond monies may only be used for capital improvements and related costs. They may not be used for personnel, utilities and other such operating expenses. In addition, to ensure appropriate accounting of bond dollars spent on each and every project, monthly bond reports will be presented to the Board of Trustees. The WISD bond website will continue to be updated regularly throughout the bond program to reflect progress reports and status so that patrons can remain informed.

State law requires county appraisal districts throughout the state. Therefore, the Ellis County Appraisal District sets the valuations of property within WISD.