RISD hosted its first official Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) meeting on Tuesday, October 13. Following the successful passage of the RISD Bond 2025 program, the Board of Trustees established this independent advisory body to ensure fiscal stewardship, transparency, and public accountability throughout the implementation of all voter-approved propositions.
Below is an overview of key highlights and progress updates shared during the committee’s first meeting:
- The CBOC is a Board-appointed independent committee tasked with monitoring Bond 2025 projects and expenditures to confirm that bond proceeds are spent strictly as described in the official ballot language, track project budgets and timelines, and deliver an annual report directly to the Board of Trustees and the community.
- To maintain a clear separation of oversight and administrative responsibilities, the committee functions strictly in an advisory and monitoring capacity without operational, management, or procurement authority.
- 15-Member Roster Composition:
- 5 Seats: Bond 2025 Steering Committee Alumni
- 5 Seats: Community Budget Steering Committee Alumni
- 5 Seats: At-Large Functional & Technical Experts
- To maintain institutional memory and continuity, initial committee members were randomly assigned to Class I (1-year term ending August 2027) or Class II (2-year term ending August 2028), transitioning to standard two-year rolling terms thereafter.
District administration reviewed the financial allocations across Bond 2025 propositions:
- Proposition A ($1,338,600,000): Construction (Middle Schools, CTE Center, Environmental Center) and Instructional Materials.
- Proposition B ($54,000,000): Student & Instructional Technology Devices.
- Proposition C ($7,400,000): Stadium Upgrades (ADA Compliance, Lighting, and Turf Replacement) at district athletic stadiums.
As part of RISD’s ongoing Middle School Transformation plan, the district highlighted progress across local campuses, governed by a standard 20-month design schedule and a 24-month construction schedule:
- Liberty Junior High: Construction fencing, mobilization, job trailers, and temporary parking are complete; new building construction is underway while keeping the existing bus loop and front drive operational.
- Apollo Junior High: Fencing, temporary admin suites, covered walkways, and portables are complete; active renovations and new academic wing construction are underway.
- Parkhill Junior High: Temporary parking and perimeter fencing complete; ongoing demolition of the small gymnasium and underground utility work for the new building.
- Richardson North Junior High: Portables, covered walkways, and northwest corner demolition complete; main building renovations and new academic wing construction ongoing.
- Westwood Junior High: Site mobilization, temporary fire lanes, ongoing basement excavation, and soil conditioning complete as new building construction progresses.
- Richardson West Junior High: Fencing, site moisture conditioning, stormwater infrastructure installation, and demolition of the former RHS baseball field complete to make way for new facility construction.
CBOC members engaged in roundtable feedback on charter clarity and upcoming project milestones. The CBOC will meet quarterly and compile an annual status report presented publicly to the Board of Trustees.
All reports, meeting minutes, and quarterly monitoring data will be regularly published to the RISD Bond 2025
website for public access.
