Bond funds can be used to pay for new buildings, additions, and renovations to existing facilities, land acquisition, technology infrastructure, and equipment for new or existing buildings. Bonds cannot be used for salaries or operating costs such as utility bills, supplies, building maintenance, fuel, and insurance.

Actual property values are determined annually by local appraisal districts. School districts have no control over and do not set local property values.

Waxahachie ISD actively maintains multiple aging facilities, some of which are more than 100 years old. While the district conducts regular maintenance on its older facilities, this bond would allow for more extensive projects that will improve school safety in our existing facilities and maintain their good condition as they age. The bond would also allow for the re-purposing of certain campuses to be used by other grade levels in order to maximize the efficient use of existing spaces and reduce the need for new construction.

The 2023 Waxahachie ISD Bond Proposal was developed by a committee of approximately 70 WISD stakeholders who gathered for a total of eight meetings from February 2022 to December 2022. The committee was composed of representatives with various perspectives, including parents, students, staff members, grandparents, business leaders, civic leaders, volunteers, retirees, community members, and WISD alumni. The committee spent their time reviewing and analyzing the aspects, histories, and projections of Waxahachie ISD’s demographics, growth and enrollment patterns, tax impact scenarios, district finance, educational programs, and thorough discussions of both immediate and long-term needs of the District, and workforce needs for our growing business community. As a result of this process, the committee formed a recommendation for a bond proposal that was presented to the Waxahachie ISD Board of Trustees on December 12, 2022. The WISD Board of Trustees considered the recommendation and called for the bond proposal on February 13, 2023.

Waxahachie ISD has added 1,500 students over the past three years and expects to add nearly 2,000 more students over the next three years. The District is projected to have an enrollment of more than 17,000 students by the early 2030s. This bond will allow for the construction of new facilities and the expansion of existing facilities to address immediate capacity issues and accommodate future growth.

The safety of our schools is our top priority. Bond 2023 provides district-wide safety, security, and technology upgrades district-wide. These upgrades include features such as fire alarm systems, secure vestibules and entrances, video camera systems, and replacement of doors and locking systems.

Waxahachie High School is forecast to exceed its current functional capacity by 2024-2025. A second comprehensive high school will relieve the challenges of rising student enrollment while also providing more students with opportunities to participate in Career & Technical Education, academic extracurricular programs, fine arts, and athletics.

No. Taxes are “frozen” for taxpayers aged 65 and over or disabled persons under the Homestead Exemption application. These taxpayers see no increase in their tax rate as a result of a school bond election.

A bond is a contract to repay borrowed money with interest over time, similar to a home mortgage. Bonds are sold by a school district to competing lenders to raise funds to pay for the costs of construction, renovations, and equipment. Most school districts in Texas utilize bonds to finance renovations and new facilities.

No. Bond funds can only be used to pay for certain things, like new buildings, additions/renovations to existing facilities, land acquisition, and technology infrastructure/equipment for new or existing buildings.

We expect that this bond will increase the tax rate by 3 cents. For the average homeowner in Waxahachie ISD, this is an increase of approximately $5.61 per month.

Waxahachie ISD is creating a bond oversight committee of WISD taxpayers. This group will meet quarterly and receive information on how bond funds are being spent.

If approved by voters, the new Wilemon STEAM Academy building will be located on land currently owned by the district off of Business 287, near Waxahachie High School, and neighborhood elementary school #10 will be located on land donated to the district in the Saddlebrook neighborhood. If approved by voters, the second comprehensive high school will be located on land owned by the district just south of the Waxahachie Senior Center on Highway 77. We are still looking for a site for neighborhood elementary school #11.

We anticipate that the campus will open with only students in grade 9, or grades 9 and 10.

The second comprehensive high school will offer all of the same academic, fine arts, and athletic programs as Waxahachie High School. The place where its course offerings may differ is in our Career & Technical Education (CTE) department. A second comprehensive high school offers the district the opportunity to introduce new CTE programs and certification opportunities.

It is too soon to know this because the second comprehensive high school will not likely begin competing at the varsity level until 2029 or 2030. Our demographic projections indicate that by the mid-2030s, we will likely have two 6A high schools (according to current UIL classifications).

Plans for Neighborhood Elementary #10 and Neighborhood Elementary #11 are already owned by the district (purchased in 2021). We will have to purchase plans for the new Wilemon campus. Based on the location of the new Wilemon campus, we expect additional costs for site work. In addition, the Wilemon campus will include specialized academic spaces for project-based and STEAM-focused learning. This new building would give even more students the opportunity to be involved in this program of choice in Waxahachie ISD.

For several years, the WHS football and cheerleading teams have been transported to Lumpkins Stadium for practices. There are not currently enough facilities to accommodate the practices for these teams at WHS. The district is spending thousands of dollars each year on transporting these students to Lumpkins Stadium for practices. This bond would allow the district to build additional facilities to accommodate football and cheerleading practices at WHS, plus expand the weight room and athletic training facilities that will benefit all athletic programs. WHS was built based on plans used for other high schools in the DFW Metroplex, and some of those schools have also since made similar improvements to athletic facilities.

Yes, with the help of our financial advisor, we would sell $60 million of bonds with final maturities of less than 15 years for maintenance items.