What is a Bond Election?
Just as homeowners borrow money in the form of a mortgage to finance the purchase of a home, a school district borrows money in the form of bonds to finance construction, renovation and other capital projects. Both are repaid over time, but in order for a school district to sell tax supported bonds, it must go to the voters for approval. 

How can bond funds be used?
Bond funds can be used to pay for new buildings, additions and renovations to existing buildings, land acquisition, technology, buses, and equipment, among other items. By law, bond funds may not be used to fund daily operating expenses, such as salaries or utilities, which are paid for out of the district’s Maintenance & Operation (M&O) budget. 

Why do you need a bond election?

School districts are required by law to ask voters for permission to issue bonds in orderto pay for capital expenditures for projects like building a new school or making renovations to existing facilities. Districts take out a loan and then pay that loan back over a period of time, much like a family takes out a mortgage loan for their house.

Who decides what items are included in the bond?
The Harts Bluff ISD Long-Range Planning Committee was comprised of parents, teachers, campus administrators, and community members. The committee met over the course of several months to study district needs at all grade levels and campuses and discussed the future vision for Harts Bluff ISD students. The group studied campus safety, a district-wide facilities assessment, demographic projections, and other data and made their recommendation to the Harts Bluff ISD Board of Trustees for consideration. The board considered the recommendation and approved a slightly reduced version of the bond program.

What items are included in the current bond?
This bond program is focused on three areas: Providing safe and secure schools, adding classroom space, and meeting the needs of evolving instructional programs.
Classroom Additions (High School) $6,000,000
Additional gym/gym improvements/locker room $5,400,000
Safety/Security Upgrades (Districtwide) $1,000,000
Cafeteria Addition/Improvements (ES and HS) $1,000,000
Fine Arts Space/Music Room Addition (ES and HS) $1,100,000
Little Red Schoolhouse Classroom Addition (ES) $4,400.,000
Total $18,900,000

What types of safety and security upgrades are included in this bond?
Harts Bluff ISD campuses will undergo significant safety and security upgrades. Campus upgrades will include the following items as needed for Harts Bluff Elementary School and Harts Bluff High School.

Safety and Security

 Access Control
 Security Cameras
 Parking Lot Lights and Exterior Wall Packs with LED Fixtures
 Interior and Exterior Doors, Door Hardware
 Security Fencing
 Security Bollards
 Entry Resistant Window Treatment
 Generators
 Technology Server and Network Upgrades

What types of renovations will take place at Harts Bluff ISD schools?
The Long-Range Planning Committee evaluated safety and security, enrollment growth, and facility conditions to determine recommendations for the Board. The Board unanimously approved the recommendations to add classroom space to the high school, make improvements to the gym including additional seating, locker rooms, and an attached practice gym that can also be used for games.  The bond also includes adding classroom space at the Little Red Schoolhouse, kitchen expansion and seating space in the cafeteria, an additional fine arts room (music room), and safety and security updates across the district.  These projects equal $18,900,000.  

How will the district address enrollment growth and capacity constraints at Harts Bluff ISD?
Harts Bluff ISD is still experiencing growth in student enrollment. Expansion of classrooms and core spaces (cafeteria, gymnasium, fine arts) will address overcrowding and put the district in a position to accommodate increased student enrollment in the future. Keeping up with growth also enables the district to maintain smaller class sizes.

How does the bond impact extracurricular activities?

The new gymnasium will provide access to gym space for both the elementary school and the high school. The gymnasium will be utilized for a wide range of programs including elementary student activities and P.E., boys and girls basketball, cheer, volleyball, the Little Dribblers community basketball program, school assemblies, and community gatherings.

How will the bond impact my taxes as a homeowner?
Harts Bluff ISD is one of only a few districts across the State of Texas that does not have an I&S (debt service) tax rate. While the district has managed to maintain facility needs over the years, a school district’s Maintenance and Operations (M&O) budget funds teacher salaries, staffing, instructional materials and supplies, and the daily operational costs of the district. Districts rely on an I&S budget to pay for capital improvements like school additions or renovations, in much the same way a homeowner borrows funds through a mortgage.

The proposed bond would increase the I&S tax rate by 35 cents. However, the overall tax rate has decreased in Harts Bluff ISD by 19 cents in the past 5 years. Therefore, the total tax rate will be roughly 16 cents more than what homeowners paid in 2018. This means that someone with a $150,000 home will pay about $20 more per month than they paid in 2018. In addition, the State is expected to continue to lower (compress) the Maintenance and Operations (M&O) tax rate, so the future total tax rate could be lower.

As compared to the 2022 tax rate, the increase on a $100,000 home would be approximately $30 per month, the increase on a $150,000 home would be approximately $44 per month, and the increase on a $200,000 home would be approximately $58 per month.

What if I am 65 or older?

Homeowners 65 years of age and older will see no increase in their tax rate as long as
they have filed for their senior citizen homestead exemption.

Campus Specific Projects

Harts Bluff Elementary School
Safety and Security Improvements
Little Red Schoolhouse Classroom Additions (8 additional classrooms)
Cafeteria
Fine Arts Expansion – New Choir Room

Harts Bluff High School
Safety and Security Improvements
Classroom Additions (12 additional classrooms)
Science Labs
Library Media Center
College and Career Counseling Center
Current Gymnasium – Additional Seating Capacity
Additional Practice Gymnasium
Locker Room Additions
Cafeteria Expansion (kitchen and seating)
Fine Arts Expansion – New Choir Room

Voting Information
(Details will be provided soon.)

Who is eligible to vote in this election?
Anyone who is a registered voter and lives within the Harts Bluff ISD district boundaries is eligible to vote in this election. 

Voter registration applications are available in most government buildings and are available at all HBISD campuses. To vote in the May 2023 election, your voter registration application must be postmarked by April 6, 2023.
How do I know if I’m registered?
To see if you’re registered, visit https://teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov/MVP/mvp.do

SCHOOL BONDS IN TEXAS
 How do school bonds work?
Likened to a home mortgage, a voter-approved school bond allows a school district to borrow funds to finance capital projects. The Board of Trustees authorizes bond elections, and State law grants the Board the authority to sell bonds.
How are Texas schools funded?
A school district’s tax rate consists of two parts:
 Maintenance and Operations (M&O) which funds the General Operating
Fund, which pays for salaries, supplies, utilities, insurance,
equipment, and the other costs of day-to-day operations; and
 Debt Service (Interest & Sinking or I&S) can be used for a variety of
special purposes, assuming voter approval. For example, they may
finance facility construction and renovation projects, acquire land, or
purchase capital equipment, such as technology, and transportation, such
as buses.
Where does the I&S money come from?
From school bonds. Likened to a home mortgage, a voter-approved school bond allows a school district to borrow funds. The Board of Trustees authorizes bond elections, and Texas law grants the Board the authority to sell bonds. Prior to any bond vote, a volunteer citizen committee is usually created to develop a bond package for presentation to the Board of Trustees. The Board approves the bond package – the specific uses of bond monies and the estimated costs for each project included in the bond.

After voter approval, the school district can sell bonds to investors who are repaid their principal plus interest. Payout is limited by law to 40 years. The district sells bonds that mature at different times, so bond expenditures for items with a shorter lifespan are paid off before the purchase becomes obsolete. This also allows the district to capture the lowest interest rates available. 

Importantly, bonds do not cost the district anything until they are sold. A district receives a higher rating due to the guarantee by the Texas Permanent School fund, having a strong fund balance, and maintaining a record of financial management excellence. Of course, market conditions will affect the actual interest rates, which may be higher or lower than the original estimates.

Why is bonding a good idea?
As state agencies, school districts rely on M&O funds to pay for the day-to-day education of the districts children. Bonds allow districts to spread the cost of expensive projects across time without affecting the district’s normal educational operations. Also, bond funds all stay with the district, and they are not subject to state recapture, fluctuations in revenue due to state mandates, or other negative economic influences. In short, bonds save and protect taxpayers while allowing for essential, ongoing facility development and other capital expenses to be funded.

How do bonds work?
Voters approve a specific dollar amount— or the maximum amount the district is allowed to sell without another election. The school district may then sell their bonds as ‘municipal’ bonds when funds are needed for capital projects, usually once or twice a year.

The interest rate paid is based on the district’s bond rating and the interest rates in effect at the time of sale.

Districts benefit if they have a higher bond rating, meaning a lower interest could be charged. Principal and interest on the bonds are repaid over an extended period with funds from the Debt Service tax rate. (Source: TASB).

Thus, there are two parts to any bond process:
1) bond authorization that specifies the amount of bonds the district is authorized
by the voters to sell, and

2) bond sales that may occur over a period of time with the date and amount of
each sale determined by the Board on an as-needed basis. (TASB).

Note that a district is not obligated to spend all the authorized monies but cannot exceed the authorization.