FORNEY, Texas — The Forney Independent School District Board of Trustees will consider the sale of bonds in lieu of a previously proposed tax ratification election to fund expansions needed for a 5th-6th grade campus model to meet growing capacity needs at the elementary level.
FORNEY, Texas — The Forney Independent School District Board of Trustees will consider the sale of bonds in lieu of a previously proposed tax ratification election to fund expansions needed for a 5th-6th grade campus model to meet growing capacity needs at the elementary level.
The move comes as the district is faced with state funding regulations which prevent the district from building new campuses for approximately nine years.
The district, on advice from its Innovative Design Team — which consisted of district administrators, teachers, community members, staff members, parents, and students — had previously proposed a tax ratification election to fund the new 5th and 6th grade campus model to meet the district’s growing elementary capacity needs in addition to new educational initiatives outlined in their Forney Focus 2.0 plan.
A tax ratification election, if approved by voters, would have increased the district’s current tax rate of $1.54 per $100 in valuation by 13 cents — the most allowed by state law.
Instead, the district now proposes selling approximately $13 million in bonds to build two 450-student expansions at Smith Elementary and Rhea Elementary as a means of converting the campuses to the new 5th and 6th grade model.
The $13 million in bonds are the remnants of approximately $36 million in bonds which were never sold from a 2006 voter approved initiative to provide $96.6 million for elementary school campuses. The district recently received approval from the Texas Attorney General’s Office to sell the bonds.
Forney ISD Superintendent Suzanne McWilliams says the switch from a tax ratification election to a bond sale saves the taxpayers an increase in their tax rate and falls within the district’s current taxing capacity.
“We always want to be cognizant of taxpayers and stake holders,” McWilliams stated during the board meeting.
McWilliams said the option to sell the bonds recently presented itself and was not an option when reviewed by the Innovative and Design Team earlier this year. Bond refunding and an approximate 15-percent increase in property values drove down the district’s interest and sinking (I&S) tax rate — which would allow for the bond sale.
The district also cut nearly $5 million from the original expansion plans at Smith and Rhea Elementary by dropping plans to add gyms and other core facilities, instead focusing only on the classroom expansions.
Deputy Superintendent Dr. Justin Terry says the move meets the district’s near-future capacity needs and gives a good plan for the future of the district.
Once, and if, the Board of Trustees approve the bond sale, the district plans to quickly move forward with the design phase to begin construction later this year for a proposed open date in preparation for the 2019-20 school year.
As planned, the campus expansions and new 5th-6th grade model should prevent the use of portable classroom buildings which has been a concern to many district officials and area residents.
District officials say the plan hits a “sweet spot” in their demographics which project a hike in 5th and 6th grade students during the 2018-19 school year and a decrease the following year during the transition.
Smith and Rhea Elementary were chosen for the 5th and 6th grade model, among other things, due to their similar floor plans which will likely result in design cost savings.
The district expects to continue seeing an approximate 3.5 percent increase in enrollment year over year, or approximately 385 students, and will likely begin evaluating the need for an additional south side elementary campus in 2024-25.
As for Forney Focus 2.0, the district says the plan provides guidelines for future educational initiatives that are wholly dependent on available funding.
