A bond is similar to a home mortgage. It is a contract to repay borrowed money with interest over time. 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.

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.

School districts are required by state law to ask voters for permission to sell bonds to investors in order to raise the capital dollars required for projects such as building a new school. Essentially, the voters are giving permission for the district to take out a loan and pay that loan back over an extended period of time, much like a family takes out a mortgage loan for their home. A school board calls a bond election so voters can decide whether or not they want to pay for proposed projects.

The 2022 bond proposal asks voters to consider giving JISD authorization to issue bonds to fund projects outlined in the proposal.

In accordance with a new state law, athletic stadiums and other recreational facilities (the Multipurpose Athletic Complex) must be presented to voters as separate propositions. This gives voters an opportunity to vote for or against both proposals.

Yes. Voters should record their vote in each of the two propositions on the ballot.

Development of the bond proposal was an in-depth process of information gathering, research and community input. The Board of Trustees and administration have been working with demographers for years to study growth trends and consider the district's needs before convening the Bond Steering Committee to seek input from the community. The Committee met six times and toured district facilities before making a recommendation to the Board of Trustees. During their meetings, the Committee studied growth trends, enrollment projections, financial data, facility needs, and results of a community survey. Following the committee’s recommendation, the Board voted unanimously to call for a May 2022 bond election.

In the event that the bond does not get approved, the District will still need to prepare for the expected growth.

The District will continue to see a decline in open classrooms. If elementary campuses get full, the District would have to consider an over-flow transfer facility.

This could eventually include bringing in portable buildings to alleviate overcrowding and multiple bus routes for students that need transportation. This would also include additional safety logistics that would need to be addressed.

Bond elections are held each year in either May or November. If the bond does not pass and the School Board votes to have another election, the earliest would be for the November 2022 election. The deadline to call for a November election is in mid-August.

The bond-steering committee had lengthy discussions about the bond amount and our bond capacity. The committee came to a consensus that this amount was the best option for addressing the expected enrollment growth and other district facility improvements, while remaining conservative with the amount and not phasing out bond sales for more than two years.

There are many factors involved when making the decision to propose a bond, and it is premature to have future bond discussions at this time. However, a committee will eventually convene to discuss long-range planning.

JISD is cognizant of the financial and economic struggles the community is facing. The JISD School Board makes every effort to lower the tax rate each year when possible, and the district currently has the third-lowest tax rate in the county.

JISD also offers a fully funded Associate's Degree program at Joshua High School that began four years ago. In May, the District will graduate its first cohort in this program. Students will graduate with a diploma and an Associate's Degree. Additionally, JISD's CTE program includes 9 industry-based certifications for students to have a head start in the workforce right out of high school. 

The District also has four Title I campuses that receive additional funding to help provide resources to students and families.

JISD has 4-5 bonds that the district is paying for. The oldest one is from 1996 and will be paid off in 2026. More information can be found on the Business Department page.

If approved, the I&S rate would increase to $0.47 for a total rate of $1.43; which is still less than the rates in 2017, 2018, and 2019. The monthly projected tax would increase to $11.69 per $100,000 of taxable value, and the projected annual tax increase would be $140.28 per $100,000 of taxable value. 

No. If you have applied for and received the age 65 and older exemption on your homestead, by law, your school taxes cannot be raised above their frozen level. 

The appraised value can change, and the tax rate will change, but the amount of school taxes on your homestead cannot increase. Normal repairs, maintenance and the economic impact of the market cannot increase the amount of taxes you will pay once a tax ceiling is in place on that homestead. Therefore, if this bond election is successful, it will not have an impact on the tax bill for homesteads that are receiving the senior citizen exemption, unless you make significant improvements to your home.

If approved by voters, all Texas homeowners who have the homestead exemption would receive tax relief because the state would increase the homestead exemption for school district property taxes from $25,000 to $40,000. The amount of taxes you owe would be calculated at an amount that is $40,000 below your home’s appraised value.

Our financial advisor considered rising interest rates when he provided estimates for the 2022 bond. Once the bonds are sold the interest rates are fixed.  Rising interest rates will provide fewer opportunities for refunding.

There are several projects that would add new seats and classrooms to address the projected growth in Joshua ISD. 

• New Elementary School
• Addition to Nichols Middle School
• Addition at Joshua High School
• CTE Program Expansion at Joshua High School
• Property Acquisition
• Expand Multipurpose Athletic Complex

If voters approve the bond, the district has a waiting period of 30 days before we can begin the underwriting process, which is up to 3 months before the bonds are sold, at which time bidding processes can begin. A tentative period to break ground would be around December 2022 to mid-February 2023. The school would be scheduled to open in the Fall of 2024.

In 2015, JISD's projections for Nichols Middle School were based on 2% growth each year. The growth has been expedited and the current bond proposal is based on 8% growth, which affects bond capacity. While the classrooms only have a capacity of 750 students, the general areas, such as the cafeteria, library, and gym, can still accommodate 1,000 students.

Adding an additional classroom wing to Nichols would make the campus equitable to Loflin, which currently has a capacity of 1,000 students.

The following projects are proposed to enhance safety and security:

• Add a secure vestibule at Elder Elementary
• Fire alarm replacements
• Electrical upgrades

The PA system is in the process of being updated through our technology budget, and bond funds will not be needed for this project.

While it can be difficult to find certified teachers with industry experience, Joshua ISD's District of Innovation plan allows us to give years of experience for a salary based on industry experience. The District of Innovation plan is good for five years and is expected to be renewed this summer.

Transfers are limited at the elementary level and monitored closely. In grades K-4, the maximum number of transfers is 10 for each grade level. This is reviewed every April based on current enrollment and capacity.

Secondary campuses have a little more room for capacity. 

JISD's District of Innovation plan also allows for flexibility with class size.

Security cameras are part of the $700,000 allowance for safety-related projects. If there are additional funds leftover after the failing ones have been replaced, the District would focus on replacing other areas designated for that allotment. 

All elementary schools will be rezoned when the new elementary campus opens in an effort to keep low student-to-teacher ratios.

Our Demographer reports help determine attendance zones.

If approved, a new attendance zone will be announced at the end of the 2022-23 school year.

That has not been determined at this time.

We will look at this in the future as part of the planning process, pending the passage of the bond.

ESSER I funds must be spent by September 30, 2022. These funds supplanted state funding (i.e. our state funding was decreased by the same amount of ESSER I received. This was done for all districts in Texas, and this decision was made at the state level).

ESSER II funds must be spent by September 30, 2023.

ESSER III funds must be spent by September 30, 2024. 

IDEA-B/ARP remaining funds will rollover to the next school year.

The School Health Grant is currently on hold by TEA.

Our ESSER Funds Grant Plan is posted on the JISD website and can be viewed here.

School bonds are long-term debt and are paid back over a 25 or 30-year period. As of the end of our last fiscal year (8/31/2021) the 2015 bond had an outstanding balance of $1,555,000. However, in September 2020, $43,325,000 of the outstanding principal on the 2015 bond was refunded along with the outstanding balance on the 2014 Refunding Bonds of $7,915,000. The resulting 2020 Refunding Bonds have an outstanding principal balance of $49,420,000.

A schedule of the District’s outstanding debt is available here.