This May, Channelview ISD residents will have the opportunity to vote on a $195.4 million bond election.
A bond is similar to a home mortgage. It is a contract to repay borrowed money with interest over time. Bond elections allow communities to vote to give the Board of Trustees authority to sell bonds to pay for items such as school construction, capital projects and land acquisition.
A school district’s tax rate is comprised of two parts. Part one is Maintenance and Operations (M&O) which funds day-to-day expenses such as salaries, general maintenance, bus repairs and fuel, educational materials and utilities.
Part two is Interest and Sinking (I&S) which funds debt repayment for the purchase of new building construction, existing building renovations, land purchases, program-specific equipment, technology and school buses. The Channelview ISD bond election would only affect the District’s I&S rate. By law, I&S funds cannot be used to pay teacher or staff salaries.
Currently, Channelview ISD’s I&S tax rate is $0.356 with the M&O tax rate standing at $1.04 for a total tax rate of $1.396. The current rate is the lowest it has been in seven years and is the second lowest tax rate when compared to surrounding school districts. Over the past seven years, the Channelview ISD Board of Trustees has lowered the tax rate $0.10 from $1.496 in 2012 to the current rate of $1.396.
The last time Channelview ISD held a bond election was a decade ago, in November 2009. Projects included in the 2009 bond were completed on time and on budget by November 2012.
Since the 2009 Bond, the district has continued to grow, which prompted the Board of Trustees to analyze a new demographic report. With 620 new homes slated for construction within the school district’s boundaries, it is expected that the student population will continue to grow, and additional space will be needed for both classroom instruction and special programs.
The District also conducted a third-party facility assessment along with a financial analysis. This information was presented to the Citizens Bond Planning Committee, which was made up of a diverse cross-section of the community including CISD parents and staff and local community members. The group studied the information, heard from principals and department leaders, and toured campuses in order to get a complete, firsthand look at the needs of the district. The committee then developed a bond proposal that was unanimously approved by the Board of Trustees to go before voters in May.
The May 2019 Channelview ISD bond includes replacing aging facilities, enhancing student programming opportunities and increasing capacity at Channelview High School, campus renovations, upgrading safety and security systems, refreshing technology district-wide, land purchase for future school sites and new buses.
If approved, this bond equates to an increase of approximately $9.30 a month for the average home valued at $120,000. State law freezes the tax rate of homeowners 65 years of age and older and have filed their exemption with the Harris County Appraisal District. Therefore, senior citizens with an exemption on file will not see an increase associated with this bond.
The deadline to register to vote in the May 4, 2019 election is Thursday, April 4, 2019. Early voting begins Monday, April 22 and ends Tuesday, April 30. Election day is Saturday, May 4.
If you have questions about the bond election, or if you would like more information, visit the Channelview ISD bond website at cvisdbond.org.