Bond 2022 Background Information

Proposition A is for $131,110,000 for the purposes of designing, constructing, renovating, improving, upgrading, updating, acquiring, and equipping school facilities (and any necessary or related removal of existing facilities), including: 

• a new La Marque High School; $79.9 million
• a new early childhood center; $37 million
• a new agricultural barn; $7 million
• a new STEM/robotics center; $1.3 million
• renovations and additions to Texas City High School (including fine arts improvements and career tech lab renovations); $4.6 million
• district­wide safety and security upgrades; $1.3 million
• the purchase of the necessary sites for school facilities 

Proposition B in the amount of $27,490,000 for the purposes of designing, constructing, renovating, improving, upgrading, updating, acquiring, and equipping sports stadiums in the District, including:

• renovations and additions to the Texas City High School stadium; $5.7 million
• a new La Marque High School stadium; $21.7 million

A new Ag Barn can be built at the existing site of the current facility.  The existing facility does not have adequate facilities to accommodate the number of students who would like to participate in the programs that utilize the Ag Barn. 

The total projected cost includes:

• New Show Arena
• 4 Grooming Stations for Large Animals
• 34 Large Animal Pens
• 34 Small Animal Pens
• Small Animal Groom Station
• Storage for Pens/Tack/Other
• 2 Wash Stations
• Student Restrooms
• Office
• Fly Mist Equipment Room
• Electrical Room
• Custodial Equipment and Storage Room
• General Storage Room
• Ventilation System
• Fly Mist System
• Water and Electrical at Pens
• 2 Weigh Scales
• New Squeeze Chute
• Drive-Thru for Trucks/Trailers
• Demolition of Old Ag Facility
• Planning and Contingency
• Technology
• Professional Fees/Material Testing
• Inflation/Cost Escalation

A new Early Childhood Center in a more centrally located site could encourage greater participation of qualifying students. A larger, well-designed school would allow the district to expand the number of programs and students. A facility that fully supports learning activities is important for young, at-risk students.

The total projected cost includes:

• Site Acquisition
• Furniture and Equipment
• New School Designed for 400 students

A new high school would be built at the existing site and would serve 800 students.  Currently the campus is serving approximately 640 students and the additional capacity should serve the community and school district for many years.  The entire school will be new except for the auditorium, which would have significant renovations and improvements, and the competition gym, which will have significant improvements.  The core areas of the new school would be built to accommodate 1,000 students (library and kitchen/cafeteria areas) so that the school academic areas could be expanded later if needed.

The total projected cost includes:

• Tie-in Costs to Auditorium and Competition Gym
• Demolition/Planning and Contingency Allowances
• Relocating Existing Drainage District Culvert
• Technology
• Furniture
• Professional Fees/Testing
• Inflation/Cost Escalation

A new athletic high school stadium would be built at the existing campus site and would accommodate 5,000 spectators.  The stadium would have aluminum supports and seating with a synthetic field, which would provide an appropriate surface for athletic events, band performance, and year-round workout opportunities for athletic teams.  Support facilities would also be included and would make the facility a complete athletic complex.

The total projected cost includes:

• Bleacher seating for 5,000
• 8-Lane Running Track
• Field Lighting
• Press Box
• Synthetic Field
• Field House
• Ticket Booth and Concession
• New Concession Parking Spaces
• 500 Additional Parking Spaces
• Video Score Board
• Detention Pond for Drainage
• Site Utilities and Tie-In Costs
• Technology
• Furniture
• Professional Fees and Material Testing
• Inflation/Cost Escalation

All school districts are evaluating facility improvements, perimeter fencing, and equipment to help protect the safety and well-being of students and employees. Texas City ISD has focused on safety and security for many years, so the list of improvements are less than the needs of many districts. 

The total projected cost includes:

• Campus intercom system upgrades to provide the ability to page from any phone, outdoor speakers in common areas, classroom audio, talk-back options, wall mounted control buttons and volume, networked interface alert custom LED panic beacon for security alerts, and monitoring station equipment.
• Perimeter fencing added to school district areas to deter unwanted outside access to school grounds.
• Bullet proof glass in receptionist areas and bullet resistant film to be placed in door silhouettes.
• Audit the integrity and lifespan of fire alarms and replace as needed.
• Add security gates to limit access to loading docks and other areas.
• Additional security cameras as needed at each campus and other district facilities.
• “Hardening” of building entries.

The proposed new STEM/Robotics Center would renovate a building already owned by the district and is currently being used for storage.  It is right sized to renovate and equip for an expanding robotics education program taught in the school district.  Marathon Petroleum Corporation has donated $1 million to the school district for this project and the school district is seeking $1.3 million to complete the project.

The Total Projected Cost Includes:

• Air conditioning and heating
• Insulation, acoustics, walls, and other needed improvements
• Restrooms and other support areas as needed
• Electrical supply needed for lab equipment and other uses
• Furniture and equipment
• Student workstations, robotics lab, and classrooms

The Texas City HIgh School Fine Arts improvements include expansion of the existing fine arts space to address student growth, including larger rehearsal space for music ensembles, cheer and dance programs, adding storage for choir, band and theatre equipment and improving the theatre black box.

The Texas City High School Career Tech Lab renovations include renovations and expansion to the Career Tech labs for audio/visual production, culinary arts, law enforcement and vet medicine programs to accommodate increased enrollment in these programs and student growth. The culinary arts program is currently at Blocker Middle School and high school students have to be transported from the high school to Blocker. The district is also exploring the expansion of course offerings to include emergency response programs (EMT and firefighter certification) and will need space for these additional programs.

Texas City High School stadium improvements include expansion and renovation to address growth and increased capacity, including additional parking for buses, as well as addressing aging facilities, including replacing the visitor bleachers and press box. 

A school district tax rate is comprised of two components: (1) a tax that supports the daily operations of the school district, which is called the Maintenance & Operations (M&O) tax, and (2) the tax that repays district debt service (Interest & Sinking Fund (I&S) tax). The combination of M&O and I&S tax rates equals the total school district tax rate. This combination of taxes is common to all school districts in Texas.

No. State law does not allow bond proceeds to be spent on personnel or operating costs such as utility bills, supplies, fuel, instructional materials, or other costs associated with daily operations of the district. Therefore, potential salary increases, resources for instruction and all other expenditures from the Maintenance and Operation (M&O) budget, which are paid from revenues generated from the District’s M&O Tax Rate, are not payable from bond proceeds or the revenues generated from the District’s Interest and Sinking (I&S; debt) Tax Rate which is levied to repay the bonds.

There is no increase in the overall tax rate anticipated with the proposed $158,600,000 school bond.  The District has the capacity to issue this additional debt without a tax rate increase because of expected property value growth and the fact that the District has been paying off previously issued debt early. 

Recent changes to State law now require all school district bond ballots to include the language “THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE.”, even when the district is not anticipating an increase in the I&S Tax Rate.  As a result, District voters will see this language on both bond ballots even though the District does not anticipate an increase in the I&S Tax Rate. 

No. There is no increase in the I&S Tax Rate anticipated with the proposed $158,600,000 school bond.

Homesteads in Texas City ISD are not taxed at the full appraised value.  Homesteads are taxed by the school district based on the appraised value minus the state homestead exemption, which is $40,000, and minus the local homestead exemption which is $5,000 or 20% of the appraised value, whichever is greater.

Example:  A home with an appraised value of $200,000 less the $40,000 state homestead exemption and the local homestead exemption of $40,000 is taxed on $120,000 (appraised value less state and local homestead exemptions).

No.  A small percentage of school districts in the state still give a local Homestead Exemption to taxpayers.  Most school districts have done away with the exemption to generate more local revenue.  Texas City ISD has maintained the exemption, which is a benefit to taxpayers.

The value of property usually increases over time and the overall value of property in a school district is no exception. As property values increase when new industrial projects and new homes are completed, the revenue generated from the I&S Tax Rate to repay outstanding bonds increases, thus the I&S Tax Rate may be lowered to an amount sufficient to generate revenues for upcoming debt service coming due.

School districts cannot promise that future values will increase each year, so Texas City ISD cannot promise a future reduction in the tax rate, however, over time, school district values usually trend higher which may allow the school district to lower the tax rate associated with bond issue debt repayment.  Additionally, the District has taken advantages of opportunities to pay off outstanding bonds early.

The Texas City ISD Board of Trustees  determines the I&S Tax Rate.  However, the amount of school district tax that is paid by a homeowner is also dependent on the appraised value of the home, which is determined by the County Appraisal District.  There is no increase in the I&S Tax Rate anticipated with the proposed $158,600,000 school bond.  However, homeowners that received a higher appraised value from the County Appraisal District will see an increase in their school taxes.

No.  The school district will not finance any project for a period of time longer than the lifespan of the project.  For example: technology will only be financed for no more than 7 years.

Yes. Because Texas City ISD is considered "property wealthy" by the State, for the 2022-2023 school year, the District must send approximately $1 million of its revenues generated from the M&O Tax Rate back to the State for recapture. Recapture is not applicable to revenues generated from the I&S Tax Rate, which can only be used to repay bond debt service.  State law does not allow a district to levy an I&S tax rate to fund capital improvement projects on a pay-as-you-go basis.  Revenues generated from the I&S Tax Rate can only be used to pay debt service on bonds which are issued to finance the voter-approved capital improvement projects. 

Texas City ISD will appoint individuals to a Bond Oversight Committee, which will review projects approved as part of the 2022 Bond and confirms fidelity of the actual work and expenditures to the projects presented to and approved by the voters. This group will be able to make public presentations to the Board of Trustees at regular meetings.

Yes.  A Facilities Advisory Committee, comprised of citizens from throughout the school district, worked for several months before making project recommendations to the Texas City ISD Board of Trustees. 

Yes, other campus projects were considered by the FAC and would have been included in the upcoming bond election, but the FAC recommended and the Board called for a bond that was within the District’s bonding capacity (without an increase to the I&S Tax Rate). The projects considered the highest priority were included in the recommendations made by the committee

The citizens Facilities Advisory Committee (FAC) finalized its recommendations at the August 2, 2022, FAC meeting and presented the recommendations to the Texas City ISD Board of Trustees on August 9.  The Board of Trustees formally called for an election at the board meeting on August 16, 2022.

• A new La Marque High School – Survey Response Approval was 75.8%
• A new La Marque HS Stadium – Survey Response Approval was 64.4%
• A new Early Childhood Center – Survey Response Approval was 77.2%
• A new Agriculture Program Barn – Survey Response Approval was 77.3%
• Safety & Security – Survey Response Approval was 88.8%
• STEM Robotics Center – Survey Response Approval was 84.1%
•  Texas City HS Stadium Improvements – Survey Response Approval was 67.3%
• Texas City HS Fine Arts Improvements – Survey Response Approval was 72.4%
• Texas City HS Career Tech Labs – Survey Response Approval was 83.5%

Download a full report of survey findings here. 

The general election date will be November 8, 2022.  Early voting will begin October 24 and will end on November 4, 2022.  The school district recognizes the importance of the bond election to all stakeholders in the district and encourages all registered voters who reside in the school district to vote.

To vote in the November 8 Texas City ISD Bond Election a qualified voter must be registered no later than 30 days prior to the election, which is Oct. 11, 2022.  A voter registration form may be acquired from the county elections clerk.

You may request a mail-in ballot by contacting the Galveston County Elections Clerk.

Voting on Election Day, November 8, will be conducted at polling places and times that will be made available when released from the county elections clerk.  The same information will apply to early voting, October 24 – November 4.

Registered voters in Texas City ISD are reminded that they must bring a photo I.D. to vote in any election held in Galveston County.  Listed below are acceptable forms of identification for voters:

• Texas driver license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
• Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
• Texas personal identification card issued by DPS
• Texas concealed handgun license issued by DPS
• United States military identification card containing the person’s photograph
• United States citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph
• United States passport

Bonds will be issued to pay for the construction and renovation of the bond projects as needed.  Once approved, the bonds will only be issued based on a schedule of sales needed to pay for completed work for each project. 

Yes.  The school district is seeking opportunities to respond to questions from the community and will be scheduling a series of informational meetings for the public.  The role of the school district is to provide information and we want everyone in the community to know what is being proposed and give individuals an opportunity to ask questions.  If you belong to a group, club, or church that would like to receive information from the school district pertaining to the bond issue, please send an email to mtortorici@tcisd.org.

Please send questions about the bond issue to Melissa Tortorici. Her email address is:mtortorici@tcisd.org

Larger districts do share large stadiums. However, larger school districts typically have competition fields on their high school sites that host their sub-varsity, soccer and track meets. That is what TCISD is proposing for LMHS but with more seating capacity for spectators. A new competition field with stadium seating would be accessible for all student groups to use at LMHS.  The track team, soccer team, marching band, dance team, JV football team, freshman football team and varsity football team would all be using the field throughout the school year for practice and games.  This would be similar to an auxiliary field with the addition of visitor seating, turf and a press box. It would accommodate 5,000 spectators combined on both visiting and home sides. Turf at the facility would allow usage regardless of rain and provide the students with a surface that is comparable for games and competitions. The multi-use facility would provide equity between the high schools and each of their programs. Currently LMHS athletes and fine arts students must travel by bus for every event, even home games played in Texas City.