FAQs

Do you have a question about the bond? 

Email us at bond@columbusisd.org

What improvement projects would be funded by the bond propositions?

The 2024 Columbus ISD bond propositions would help address current teaching and learning objectives related to facilities, grounded in projections, research and community feedback:

• Additional Elementary Capacity – Provides additional capacity concerns at the Elementary to accommodate increasing enrollment while focusing on the developmental needs of all students

• CTE Facilities – Focuses on program growth and improvements to existing Career and Technical Education and Agriculture building spaces

• Parking Lot Reconfiguration – Provides additional parking staff spaces at the Elementary

• Capital Improvements – Supports priority capital improvement projects for the existing Elementary building, including plumbing and electrical upgrades

Where will the students attend school while the new buildings are being constructed?

The students will remain in their current setting during the construction of the new facilities. Instruction will not be impacted, nor will the district have to purchase portable classroom buildings.

How do I know if my taxes are frozen if I'm 65 and over?

Your best course of action is to call the Colorado County CAD at (979) 732-8222. Individuals 65 years of age or older (or individuals who turn 65 before January 1, 2023) automatically qualify for the "Over 65 Homestead Exemption" based on their date of birth on the initial homestead application. If you are unaware if your date of birth is filed on your initial homestead application, please call the Colorado County CAD at (979) 732-8222 and their office can assist you with confirming if your taxes can be frozen. 

If the bond is passed and the school district tax rate is lowered, will my tax rate be lowered if I'm 65 years old?

The tax rate for Columbus ISD has steadily decreased over the last ten years from $1.18 to $0.88. As the tax rate has lowered, you have received the decreased rate adjustments and will continue to receive the adjustments. Please call the Colorado County CAD at (979) 732-8222 if you would like clarification on this topic.

What is a bond? 

You can think of a bond like a home mortgage. It is effectively an agreement 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. School districts in Texas use bonds to finance renovations and new facilities. 

What is a bond election? 

Under state law, school districts must ask voters for permission to sell bonds to investors to raise the dollars required for capital projects such as renovation to existing buildings or building a new school. 

When a bond is approved in an election, voters are giving permission for the district to take out a loan and pay that loan back over an extended period, much like a family takes out a mortgage loan for their home. A school district Board of Trustees must call for a bond election. 

How can bond funds be used by the school district? 

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. 

Can bond funds be used to provide pay raises, bonuses, or stipends for staff? 

No. As stated above, bond funds cannot be used for salaries or general operating costs incurred by the district. 

How long will the process take to complete once the bond is passed?

Generally, it takes about six months to sell bonds and plan construction. The current plan is to complete this project without displacing students from their instructional setting. Construction is slower when projects are not able to be completed concurrently. The speed of any project is contingent upon the availability of materials and would be difficult to speculate how soon it will be completed. A conservative estimate for the completion of the project would be two to three years.

What courses are expected to be in the new CTE building? 

Columbus ISD has received data from the Texas Workforce Commission regarding what trades/professions are most relevant in our local community. Our plans for adding more opportunities to students are dependent on student interest surveys and the Texas Workforce Commission data for our area. We are always looking at what is best for our student population and their employability. As such, Health Science would be a great pathway to add back to our offerings. The top three employers in our area are education, healthcare, and construction. This decision will ultimately be determined by a Bond Planning Committee. The Bond Planning Committee will be assembled after May 4, should voters approve Proposition B. 

How do you plan to hire teachers to fill the areas of need in the new CTE building should Proposition B pass?

Hiring qualified staff for the areas of expansion is paramount. This is also challenging as it must be a person with industry experience (or CTE certified) and have the knowledge to tap into the certifications that the students will need to obtain to be successful in that line of work and satisfy the TEA requirements. Every effort to fill those positions will be a priority. We have been actively recruiting instructors, both online and at in-person job fairs to fill positions within CTE. We feel confident that a new building will also help attract new employees who are interested in joining our Columbus ISD team. Additionally, we are looking into partnering with the Alliance For College And Career Student Success, which is a group of five school districts and Blinn College, in the event we are unable to secure enough teachers. 

Where do we vote?

Early voting begins Monday, April 22nd and runs through Tuesday, April 30th. The early voting location will be at the Colorado County Election Center located at 1117 Travis Street in Columbus. Hours of operation are 7:30am until 5:30pm on weekdays only. For a detailed listing of voting locations please see our Voting Information Page.

This seems rushed. Why did the CISD choose to go to bond so quickly?  

Schools in Texas that choose to go bond in a May election must call for the bond in January/February. The CISD School Board called for the bond on February 12, 2024 after months of school officials working with the architects and bond counsel to determine the monetary totals to ask for in the bond. The school began doing formal evaluations of the school facilities in 2018 and again in 2021 and 2022. The findings of these evaluations can be found under the Resources tab. Columbus ISD and its Board of Trustees has been disaggregating the data derived from these assessments for over five years with a steering committee formed in the Winter of 2021 to determine the best course of action in calling for a bond. The current facility discussions have been on the CISD Board Meeting Agendas since September 2023.

Why does the language read, "THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE" on the ballot?

State law requires all school district ballot measures for the issuance of bonds to include the language “THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE.” Notwithstanding the requirement for this language, the District currently anticipates that, based on current and anticipated future taxable assessed values in the District, the passage of Bond Propositions A and B and the issuance of the bonds will not result in an increase to the District’s debt service tax rate. Taking into consideration the approval and issuance of the bonds, the District currently estimates that the debt service tax rate for the 2024/2025 tax year will decrease by $0.05 cents should both propositions pass. A more detailed view of each scenario is broken down on the  Proposed Tax Rate page.

Records indicate that there is 8.75 million dollars in the fund balance that are “unassigned”.  Why aren’t these funds being used for improvements for the school?

It is recommended for School districts to have three months of operating expenses in their fund balance. This allows for fiscal security in case of unforeseen emergencies and  for the payment of expenses before the district receives tax payments, for example. For our school district, these three months would be roughly $5 million dollars from our “unassigned” fund balance. Additionally, Columbus ISD may have to use between money from the fund balance to cover the discrepancy between the projected and the actual tax revenue indicated in the property value study.

I agree we need new facilities for our students, but what I have a hard time with is why years ago the decision was made to invest over two million dollars out of the fund balance in a softball field? As a taxpayer, I want to know why that decision was made, and I feel the community is owed an explanation. 

In public education, school districts are tasked with providing equitable opportunities for all students (Title IX). A few years ago, it was identified that our district needed to expand our athletic opportunities for female students, due to the opportunities offered to our male student-athletes. The softball field was built to address such concerns, affording female students the opportunity to benefit from participation in athletics, developing physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially. 

The current bond propositions are grounded in projections, research and community feedback to address growth in our student population. If the propositions pass, the district will utilize the bond proceeds to accomplish the projects specifically outlined in the propositions approved by the community. 

I understand the current AG building does not have the proper power service it needs. How can we be sure these new buildings will be carefully thought out so issues like this don’t happen?

The current ag building was built in 1970. While the power service was adequate at that time, 54 years later it does not suffice.  The proposed ag building will be built for 21st century learning with adequate power service. If the bond passes, we will offer the opportunity to our community members, parents and staff to apply to join the Bond Oversight Committee. 

If we want to provide input or feedback once the bond is approved, how do we get on this “bond board” that gets to have the final say? Do you have to be nominated? Who all can be on this type of board? Who will choose the bond oversight committee?

If the bond passes, we will offer the opportunity to our community members, parents and staff to apply to join the Bond Oversight Committee. 

What was the process for the CTE design of the building? Were the current teachers involved in process?

The idea came from several different areas, including the Steering committee. The Steering Committee was composed of community members, faculty/staff, parents and other stakeholders. It’s based upon the present and future needs of CHS students. This was determined through consultation with teachers, students, counselors and data from Colorado County Workforce. In 2022, students and the Ag CTE teachers along with administration visited about their needs. It was originally thought that the fund balance could cover facility upgrades, but when we received estimates it was determined that the cost was greater than fund balance would allow. Updated equipment and ventilation was purchased with federal funds. In 2023, the Ag CTE staff and architects met with administration to develop the current proposal listed in Proposition B.

Can there be adjustments in the CTE and CES building design?

Yes. The Bond Planning and Bond Oversight committees will have the ability to adjust the design to best fit the needs of CISD.

Is the building a Career and Technical Education Building or an Ag Facility?

It is a Career and Technology Education (CTE) Building. CTE is an umbrella term with many CTE pathways for students to choose. The classrooms in the new facility could be outfitted to accommodate any of these pathways: Animal Science, Plant Science, Education & Training, Culinary Arts, Applied Agricultural Engineering, Architecture and Construction, Digital Communications, Business Management, Graphic Design & Media Arts, and hopefully Health Science. As a side note, each CTE teacher met individually with campus administration to do a needs assessment for their program including course sequencing and marketable certifications for their student population.

If the CTE Building is built, where are different teachers / programs going?

This will be dependent on course requests and class sizes. We currently have 9 teachers with CTE classes.

Marley Giddens: Culinary (1 Teacher)

Floral Building: Floral (1 Teacher)

Ag Building: Vet Med & Welding (2 teachers)

Main Building: Construction Teacher (1 teacher), Business (1 teacher), Digital Communications (1 teacher), Graphic Design/Education and Training (1 teacher), Plant Science (1 Teacher)

The CTE building has space for two classrooms with labs and an Architecture and Construction classroom with lab. Ideally, we need to bring the construction teacher to a construction lab area instead of being in the main campus. Other spots will be dependent on class size and needs. We are also exploring Health Science interest as it’s a growing field in our community.

There is a ditch on the east side of the Ag Building. How is this being considered in construction costs?

The architects have taken into account how the site will be prepared for the construction of a building in that location. 

How exactly are the projections for classroom supplies & equipment calculated? What if more equipment is needed?

There is a formula for each classroom type that includes the necessary equipment and supplies to fund the program of study or course. Those numbers are built into the cost estimate for each proposition. This is also built into the proposition budget with a contingency budget if extra is needed.

Is the proposed CTE building big enough for the future needs of CHS?

Our CTE programs at CHS are growing each year. This year CISD has started multiple CTE introductory course offerings at the middle school level to allow CHS students to attain Level III and IV coursework. In turn this will also alleviate some of the overcrowding in several programs of study because the introductory courses have been completed. The additional building will also provide relief and a pertinent learning environment that meets the needs of the program.

Is the CTE building going to replace the existing AG structure? What happens to the existing structure?

The proposed CTE building will not replace the existing structure. The proposition does have renovations of the existing structure written into the bond proposal.

For the current fifth grade wing, what is the long term plan with that? Remodel or demo?

Should Proposition A pass, the new wing would be built and the current building will be renovated to allow us to better serve our student population.

Will the bond solve all of the elementary school’s needs?  Or will we be asked for more funds in the future?

The funds allocated in Proposition A will build a new addition to the elementary grounds and has dedicated funds for renovations to the existing structure. It is difficult to predict if more funds will be asked for in the future.

I know the PTO has asked the community for funds for a multi-sport court for both the community and the school.  Will any of those bond funds go towards that?

No. The funds allocated in Proposition A can only be used on the items named in the bond language. Please see the Notice of Bond Election on the Voting Information page for more details.

How will the district ensure that the new facility and science lab will have adequate funding to continue to be a utilized space in the future?  Will there be funds in the budget to ensure teachers have the ability to actually utilize this space for science purposes?

The bond funds will be used to build a new 5th grade wing and for building renovations.  This includes the necessary equipment each classroom or lab needs to function in the instructional space. As a district we will continue to use our M&O (maintenance and operation) funds to pay for instructional materials.  Bond funds cannot and will not be used for instructional materials. 

Why is nothing being done at the high school?  That building is the worst out of all of them.   

Two years ago we went to bond for a new high school, and it did not pass.  At this time Proposition B includes a CTE center (trades building) to address program growth at Columbus High School.

What are the priority items that will be fixed on the elementary campus from the maintenance funds?  

We know we have a lot of needs, but we wanted to be mindful of our taxpayer’s dollars by focusing on critical needs.  Therefore, we will do everything to stretch our dollars and cover priorities on our list outlined in the Facilities Assessments.

How is the public guaranteed to know that the facilities will be taken care of properly?  

The CES fifth grade wing is currently operating in a portion of the elementary that is 70 years old.  Every effort will be made to ensure that CISD is good stewards of the funds and our new building (and existing building) is well maintained.

Why is the Elementary school being prioritized over the high school?  The elementary school, while it does need updates, is good enough for fundamentals. 

Proposition A is for the elementary school and Proposition B is for the high school.  Both propositions are grounded in projections, research and community feedback to address issues of growth. At CISD our priorities are our students, not one building over another.

I understand our taxes will not go up, but will go down.  Sounds too good to be true!  What happens in the next two years or after the schools are updated!  What will our tax rate be then?  

The current total tax rate is $.88.  If both propositions pass, the total tax rate will be approximately $.83. Since the district has been good stewards of the public’s money, as previous debt is paid off, it may reduce the tax rate again. The current M&O tax rate $.7236 and the current I&S tax rate is $.16. The M&O rate is set by the state in conjunction with the property values. A complete table of estimated Proposed I&S Tax Rates can be found on the Bond Resources Page.

Do you have a question about the bond? 

Email us at bond@columbusisd.org