Bond 2025 - FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
What is a bond?
Texas independent school districts issue bonds to pay for capital expenditures. Districts repay the bonds through revenue generated from property taxes collected by the district. School district bonds are similar to a home mortgage in that the borrower repays the lender — in this case, investors — over time and in accordance to the terms of the bond sale.
What is a capital item?
Capital items have a useful life of more than one year, and by law, only capital items can be paid for with the proceeds of bond sales. Examples include, but are not limited to, facility construction or renovation, land acquisition, computers and technology infrastructure, library books, and buses.
How can bond dollars be used?
Under Texas law, proceeds of bond sales may only be used to pay for items with a useful life of more than one year. Bond funds can be used to pay for new buildings, additions and renovations to existing buildings, land acquisition, technology, buses, and other school equipment. Bond proceeds may not be used for recurring expenses such as the district’s payroll or utilities.
Much of the proceeds from recent bond packages have funded renovations to RISD facilities, most of which were built more than 50 years ago. Some of the projects funded through bonds this century include: three new elementary schools (Audelia Creek, Carolyn Bukhair, Thurgood Marshall); substantial renovations at 16 campuses; stadium upgrades; construction of multipurpose activity centers at all four high schools; library renovations at all elementary schools; increased security systems at all facilities; and expanded CTE programming. Bond 2021 included two new middle schools, Forest Meadow and Lake Highlands Middle, as a result of the district’s decision to transition from Junior Highs (grades 7-8) to Middle Schools (grades 6-8).
Are property taxes frozen for RISD residents over age 65?
Was the community involved in determining what projects and items should be included in Bond 2025?
Yes. The projects and items that RISD trustees included in Bond 2025 came at the recommendation of the bond steering committee, represented by a diverse cross-section of our district, including parents, staff, community members, and business leaders. They met from March to July of 2025, reviewing data from every district department and working to reach a consensus before making any recommendations. They analyzed facilities assessments, financial data, results of a community survey and other data relevant in creating and maintaining learning environments that align with the RISD mission, vision and goals.
Committee members represented each of RISD’s four learning communities and reviewed projects from previous bond packages among the information studied in making the recommendation. The work of the RISD Bond Steering Committee is detailed on the BSC website.
Does RISD have a long-range bond plan?
Yes. Through the work of the Community Bond Steering Committee, administration and trustees, there are two related elements to RISD’s long range bond plans.
- RISD’s transformation of existing junior highs into middle schools to accommodate the transition of sixth graders into middle schools has completed its first stage through the 2021 bond.
- More than 90% of RISD schools were built between 1952 and 1980. While periodic renovations and system replacements have occurred over the decades, the condition of many campuses has reached, or is expected to reach, the point where replacement or major retrofitting are less expensive than the ongoing repair and replacement of failing systems. A facility condition audit was conducted in 2020 and results were used as one data point in helping to determine RISD’s long range vision for replacement or retrofitting of its older schools. This effort is anticipated to span 20 years over four bonds: 2021, 2025 and the next two bond cycles.
How does RISD’s move to a middle school model from a junior high model which began in 2021 impact Bond 2025?
After extensive study in 2020, RISD made the decision to adopt a middle school instructional model with students in grades six, seven and eight attending middle schools, and students in grades Pre-K through grade five attending elementary schools.
Bond 2021 funded the renovation of Forest Meadow and Lake Highlands, supporting the RISD Middle School Transformation.
Bond 2025 seeks to continue the work to complete the Middle School Transformation initiative for the remaining six junior high campuses: Apollo, Liberty, North, Parkhill, West, and Westwood to accommodate sixth-grade students.
Learn more about the Middle School model and the transition from junior highs, including academic performance, aligned curriculum, extracurriculars, and student wellness considerations.
What would then occur with the middle school transformation plan if the 2025 bond does not pass?
Under that scenario, there would not be funding for middle school expansions or renovations at the six junior highs and the implementation of a middle school model would not be able to occur in those learning communities until funding could be identified in a future bond. This possibility is inherent in any projects that would be part of long term bond plans – implementation is always contingent upon voter approval of current/future propositions.
When was RISD’s last bond referendum?
The last bond referendum was in 2021. Capital projects funded through Bond 2021 are 100% complete, with final projects completed this past summer. The RISD community has passed every school bond referendum since the first one the school district put on the ballot in 1951. The school district has traditionally operated on a five-year bond cycle since 1996.
Is RISD’s bond package related to or part of the City of Richardson bond package?
No. Richardson ISD and the Cities of Richardson, Dallas and Garland are all separate and independent entities with their own independent taxing, budgeting, oversight, governance, or bond project affiliation. School district bond projects and capital expenditures are in no way connected to City bond projects or capital expenditures.
Would this bond allow students or staff to receive a new computer or device each year? What is the lifetime of technology?
No, RISD does not issue new devices to each student and staff member each year. Over the last two decades, technology in RISD has been refreshed through bond packages every five years. This has provided funding for devices purchased over a five-year window (for example iPads or Chromebooks for students and laptops for teachers).
Students are typically issued a device for use at the beginning of a school year, and return it at the end of the year (with the some exceptions if students take courses over the summer, etc.). The previously-used (and reformatted) devices are then re-issued to students the next school year. New devices are purchased in cycles to replace used devices that become inoperable, damaged, lost or stolen (parents are asked to purchase insurance to recover the cost if this occurs with a student device).
District-issued devices can be used by students and staff members for up to five years before replacement. If a staff device malfunctions, becomes damaged, or is lost or stolen, it can be repaired or replaced with a used or new device. In addition to wear and tear over a period of years and use, devices typically become less effective and eventually obsolete as technology advances and system requirements increase to perform the functions necessary for the applications used in education.
What happens if voters don't approve the package in November?
RISD’s operating fund budget is structured to rely on bond elections every five years, or when determined by the Board of Trustees, to pay for capital items and equipment. If Bond 2025 is not approved, then RISD would not be able to fund the vast majority of the items and projects in the proposed package. District staff and the Board would review if critical capital expenditures could be funded from operating fund reserves. Based on this evaluation, some urgent capital needs (for example unanticipated HVAC replacement or broken water main repair at a school) could be funded through emergency withdrawals from operating fund reserves while waiting on another bond election in the future. A prolonged lack of access to bond funds for capital items would require RISD to carefully re-prioritize all spending needs and to identify additional funding options. If Bond 2025 and/or subsequent bonds are not approved, then the debt service tax rate would eventually begin to decrease over a period of years.
What is the impact and why are Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs important?
The proposed Career and Technical Education (CTE) center would be built on existing land owned by the district, next to the Richardson ISD Operations Center on Greenville Ave. The centrally-located center would serve approximately 1600 – 2000 students from all four high schools across all learning communities, who would be transported by bus from their home campuses for CTE courses.
Due to specialized equipment and staffing, CTE programs can be costly to replicate across all four high schools. Having a central location allows the district to expand and offer specialized programming that RISD may not have the funding to support at individual high schools.
For example, the automotive program at Richardson High School is a high-demand pathway that is currently inaccessible to other students in the District. Building an automotive area at the CTE center expands access to more students at all four campuses and increases capacity.
The CTE Center would increase and expand career-focused programs of study opportunities for all students and offer comparable experiences for RISD students that are currently offered in neighboring districts, as well as continue to differentiate district experiences from local charter and private schools.
Why build a standalone Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center?
In the 2024-2025 school year, more than 55% of RISD graduates earned industry-based certifications and contributed to the increased College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) metric of 97% for Richardson ISD graduates.
The centrally located CTE center would provide real-world, hands-on technical experience for students in high-demand, high-wage career pathways leading to employment opportunities, whether they choose to enter the workforce after graduation, attend college, or pursue civic service. Industry partnerships within each pathway allow students to experience hands-on learning in real-world spaces and a path straight into the workforce if they choose.
Learn more about the existing programs of study and the benefits on the RISD CTE webpage.
How will the programming options in the Career and Technical Education Center (CTE) be decided?
Why is the Career and Technical Education Center (CTE) part of Prop A instead of on its own separate Proposition?
How will students travel to the Career and Technical Education Center (CTE)?
How can the community and businesses engage with the Career and Technical Education Center (CTE)?
Much like the existing Credit Union of Texas Smart Branch at Berkner High School and STEM Academy, the CTE center would work with community partner businesses to open real-world learning spaces that can be accessed by the community. The CTE center spaces can house fully run student-led businesses.
In addition, business and industry leaders will have opportunities to engage with the programs, provide real-world learning experiences for students, and help build a workforce pipeline upon graduation, due to the certifications and experience earned during high school.
What are RISD’s bond ratings and how do they impact the district’s finances?
RISD maintains a triple-A rating from Moody’s Investors Service and an AA-plus rating from Standard & Poor’s. Only a few other Texas school districts have this combination of high bond ratings. The high ratings help RISD get the best possible interest rate on bond sale and also help lower the costs of issuance.
Moody’s analysts said RISD’s Aaa rating “reflects a strong financial profile characterized by prudent financial policies, healthy operating history and substantial available reserves including amounts held outside the general fund.”
Standard & Poor’s analysts said RISD’s “very strong levels of reserves are supported by a growing tax base and subsequent growth in property tax collections.”
Moody’s outlook on RISD’s credit rating is stable due to analysts’ “expectation that the district will continue to exhibit strong financial management resulting in stable financial operations and that its debt burden will remain manageable.”
What happens with old technology devices? Does the district make money out of them?
Yes. After a five-year period of use, the district typically recoups a small percentage of funds through an approved e-waste and technology salvage company. Once devices reach the end of their usable life, they are securely wiped of all data and sent to the district’s approved vendor for environmentally responsible recycling or parts recovery. The district then receives a small return based on the residual value of the salvaged materials.
This process ensures compliance with data security standards, promotes responsible recycling practices, and allows the district to recover a modest portion of the original investment.
Why is RISD proposing to do updates on buildings that are no longer operating as schools?
Will the district expand capacity to serve more students at middle schools once the Middle School Transformation initiative is complete?
- Apollo Junior High
- Liberty Junior High
- Richardson North Junior High
- Parkhill Junior High
- Richardson West Junior High
- Westwood Junior High
What is energy conservation equipment?
If the Junior High/Middle School is proposed for new construction, where will the school be built?
The school will be built on the existing, adjacent land where the current school is located. Each campus has shared proposed construction plans on their campus website:
Apollo – Proposed plans include a renovation
Liberty – Proposed plans include a rebuild
Parkhill – Proposed plans include a rebuild
Richardson North – Proposed plans include a renovation
Richardson West – Proposed plans are TBD
Westwood – Proposed plans include a rebuild
If a campus is a new building, the new building will be constructed while teaching and learning continues in the current building, similar to what was done at Lake Highland Middle School.
If the Junior High/Middle School is proposed for renovation, will the students be relocated?
How long would it take before the new schools are built?
If Bond 2025 Proposition A passes, construction is anticipated to begin in summer 2026 with the new buildings opening as middle schools for the 2028-2029 school year.
View the Middle School Transition FAQs for History and Context.
Why is there a need to renovate the current Junior High campuses to add an additional grade when the same campuses used to host three grades (7-9)?
Why is the election happening in November 2025 instead of May 2026?
Are the bathroom and locker room renovations going to be for the sex you were born with or are they being renovated to allow anyone to use whichever they want?
Why is the district looking to expand and possibly rebuild a new campus with the Middle School Transformation when 5 elementary schools closed as part of Project Rightsize?
The district is not looking to expand current capacity at the JHS campuses. Each JHS campus was evaluated as part of a Facility Condition Index (FCI). An FCI is a metric that compares the cost of needed repairs to the total replacement value of a facility, calculated as a percentage. That data point is considered when looking at the average cost to repair/renovate versus rebuild. Because the average age of district buildings is over 58 years, in certain instances, it may be less expensive to rebuild rather than renovate a building. The Middle School Transformation is a commitment previous Boards have made based on a community committee recommendation.
The consolidation of the 5 elementary campuses as part of Project Rightsize was to address multiple issues, including the reduction of the 2024-25 projected operating budget deficit and simultaneously address longtime inefficiencies in how RISD elementary schools are zoned and operated.
Before Project Rightsize, RISD operated the least efficient elementary school model among all of our comparison school districts. Our average elementary school enrollment is lower than the districts we compete with, and many of our schools are significantly below capacity. Before Project Rightsize, we had more than 9,000 empty elementary school seats, and we project more than 12,000 empty seats once our students complete the move to middle schools. For context, competing district Lewisville ISD, here in the DFW metroplex, serves close to 50,000 students (compared to RISD’s over 36,000 students) and operates two fewer elementary schools.
The goal with Project Rightsize is to ensure that we are able to focus our finite budget dollars on student programs, activities, and continued academic growth, as well as prioritize compensation so the district can continue to recruit and retain the best educators and staff in N. Texas.
The district uses the words proposed and planned when sharing information about Bond 2025 projects. Why is that? Will the projects change if the bond passes?
What is the current capacity and enrollment at RISD schools?
View the current capacity and enrollment numbers as of 10/23/25. It is important to note that we have not had our official TEA snapshot for the current school year, which will take place on Friday, October 31, 2025.
It is also important to note the difference between capacity and functional capacity. Functional Capacity is the realistic, usable number of people (e.g., students) a building can effectively and comfortably accommodate while maintaining the quality of its intended program. It’s calculated by using the gross number of instructional rooms/spaces and then adjusts based on real-world factors, including educational programs, specialized spaces, and utilization rate. A scheduling factor or utilization rate accounts for the fact that not all classrooms are used every period (e.g., high school teachers have prep periods, or students go to specialty classes).