By Megan Wehring
DRIPPING SPRINGS – A $481.1 million bond is on the November ballot for Dripping Springs ISD.
At a special meeting on Aug. 18, the DSISD Board of Trustees approved the bond referendum with a 6-1 vote – Trustee Tricia Quintero was the dissenting vote.
The bond package includes funding for the following (numbers are rounded to the nearest 5,000).
PROPOSITION A - $199,280,000
• Build Elementary School #6 - $62,872,000
• Expand Sycamore Springs MS to 1200 Capacity - $30,830,400
• Purchase Land for Future Facilities - $15,000,000
• Design for Elementary School #7 (Complete Design Through Construction Documents) - $2,500,000
• Design Middle School #3 (Schematic Design) - $600,000
• Dripping Springs Elementary School Lifecycle Replacements and Renovations - $17,448,750
• Dripping Springs Middle School Lifecycle Replacements and Renovations - $35,169,580
• Dripping Springs High School Replace Approximately 120,000 SF of Roofing - $3,074,000
• Dripping Springs High School Replace Competition Gym Floor and Retrofit 3 Gyms with LED Lighting - $587,500
• Replace Pressure Reducing Valves on Various Campuses - $155,000
• Dripping Springs High School Repair Civil Site Issue at Southside Tennis Courts - $165,500
• Dripping Springs High School Life Skills Classroom Renovations - $845,000
• Dripping Springs High School Health Services Classrooms Renovations - $164,000
• Dripping Springs Elementary School Reconfigure CL&I and Maker Space - $194,800
• Rooster Springs Elementary School Reconfigure CL&I and Maker Space - $194,800
• Updated Sound and Lighting Systems in Spaces at Various Campuses - $1,280,000
• Dripping Springs High School Lockers in Main Building and Fieldhouse - $274,000
• Dripping Springs High School Outfit Lab Spaces for Chemistry - $448,500
• Technology Lifecycle Replacements - $2,438,931
• Infrastructure (Network, Servers, Firewall, AV) - $2,438,931
• Campus Security & ADA Updates - $14,594,906
• New Buses and Vehicles to Replace Aging Fleet and Growth - $4,875,838
• New Classroom Portables - $1,130,000
• Child Nutrition Services (Kitchen) Equipment Replacements for Dripping Springs High School, Dripping Springs Middle School, Dripping Springs Elementary School, and Rooster Springs Elementary School - $1,264,000
• New Facility for 18+ Program - $3,168,000
PROPOSITION B - $275,350,000
• Construct High School #2 - $275,350,000
PROPOSITION C - $6,505,000*
• Technology Lifecycle Replacements - $6,504,690
Approval of the bond is not expected to result in a change to the current tax rate, which is $1.3103 ($0.9603 - Maintenance & Operations/$0.35- Interest & Sinking) per $100 of certified property value, according to a news release.
Actual property tax bills are a product of the tax rate and the appraised property value. Increases in property value will increase a homeowner’s tax bill. By law, homeowners 65 years and older who have taken certain steps to apply for an exemption would not see an increase in their total school taxes above the amount at which their taxes were frozen (unless new improvements were constructed).
The deadline to register to vote in the November general election is Oct. 11. The first day of early voting in person is Monday, Oct. 24. The last day to apply for a ballot by mail (received in the elections office, not postmarked) is Oct. 28. The last day of early voting in person is Nov. 4. Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 8.
To view the full detailed bond package, please visit https://www.dsisdtx.us/ cms/lib/TX02204855/ Centricity/Domain/4/ November%202022%20 Bond%20Package.pdf.
