$135 million BCISD bond package slated for May 2 election
R.J. Richey Elementary School is one of three elementary campuses in Burnet CISD. Staff photo by Caden Senn
The Burnet Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve an election for a $135 million bond package at a Monday, Feb. 9, special meeting. The bond, addressing vital campus changes and district-wide maintenance, will be placed on the May 2 ballot.
Voters have until April 2 to register to vote for the election. Early voting runs from April 20-28, with Election Day on May 2.
If passed by voters, the bulk of the bond package will be split into three main sections, including construction of a new Burnet Middle School, classroom additions at RJ Richey Elementary, and various maintenance improvements throughout the district. A full breakdown of the projects can be found towards the bottom of this article.
BCISD Superintendent Dr. Aaron Peña told DailyTrib that the bond would likely not directly cause a tax increase for district residents.
“(The bond will) likely be structured without a tax rate increase, meaning the proposed projects could be funded using the district’s existing Interest and Sinking (I and S) tax rate of $0.195,” Dr. Peña said.
A BCISD press release issued on Tuesday added to Dr. Peña‘s statement, clarifying possible personal tax changes.
“While individual tax bills may vary due to property value changes, the (I and S) tax rate is not expected to rise,” the release states.
In Texas school financing, a school district’s overall tax rate is divided between the M&O rate (maintenance and operations) and the I&S rate (interest and sinking). The M&O rate can only be used to fund day-to-day operations, like salaries and utilities. The I&S rate can only be used to pay down debt. By design, school districts take out voter-approved bonds to accomplish major infrastructure projects, like those proposed by BCISD in this upcoming election, which are then paid down using the funds levied from the I&S rate.
The current total BCISD property tax rate for the 2025-26 fiscal year is $0.8710 per $100 property valuation. Of that total rate, $0.6760 is dedicated to the M&O rate and $0.195 is dedicated to the I&S rate.
While the bond is still in the early planning stages, Dr. Peña also told DailyTrib that the bond projects would be phased to allow for the least amount of academic disruptions during the school year. This phased approach is planned to include completing the new Burnet Middle School prior to deconstruction of the current campus.
The community can expect various maintenance projects and the design of the new Burnet Middle School to begin immediately after approval. The timeline for the new middle school is unknown, but is likely to be a multi-year project.
Upon passing the bond election, board members took a moment to share their praises of the BCISD Facilities Advisory Committee for guiding them through the process, and share some final thoughts on the bond.
“I trust the work the (Facilities Advisory) Committee did, the work they put in, the time they put in,” Board Secretary Mark Kincaid said. “It’s scary, but it’s time to let the voters decide. And they’ll tell us.”
“This is the time that we have to do this, and none of us here will take this lightly,” Board Trustee Katy Duke said.
“I’m excited for our kids,” Board Trustee Suzanne Brown said. “I think we’re making a bold decision, and I hope that we can communicate this to our voters and our community.”
The bond approval process
The board of trustees’ approval of the bond vote was the culmination of over six months of planning led by the BCISD Facilities Advisory Committee, and multiple special meetings deliberating the exact parameters and cost of the bond package.
Initial feedback from the Facilities Advisory Committee, which consisted of parents, staff, students and community members, led to a $141 million bond recommendation presented to the board of trustees at a Jan. 19 meeting.
During preliminary discussions, not all members of the board were ready to jump at the presented price tag. Two special meetings were called, for Feb. 2 and 9, to further discuss the final sum, scope, and scale of the bond and its projects.
Amongst the hesitations were concerns over the bond’s hefty price tag, nearly triple the district’s previous $52.5 million bond in 2021, and about other glaring projects in the district not being addressed in the bond recommendation.
Board Secretary Mark Kincaid pointed to needed upgrades at Bertram and Shady Grove elementaries, which were not included in the initial bond package presentation.
“If we were leaving that out,” he said. “That would worry me down the road.”
Board Vice President Angela Moore had similar concerns surrounding the RJ Richey renovations that were part of the recommendation, which would leave out key upgrades to the library.
“If we’re going to bring up capacity (of RJ Richey) to 750, and it still has the smallest library (in the district) to service 750 students, that concerns me a great deal,” Moore said.
After further deliberation during the special meetings, the board agreed on a smaller $135 million bond amount, and discussed with Pfluger Architects, the board’s chosen architectural planning firm for the project, reworking the scope of some projects to allow for others, like security concerns and the library.
The bond breakdown
BCISD’s proposed $135 million bond will be split into two propositions on the May 2 ballot: Proposition A and B.
Proposition A, roughly $133 million, allows for funds to be used on general facilities, modernization, deferred maintenance, and land acquisition.
Proposition B, roughly $2 million, allows for funds to be used on district-wide technology upgrades.
Both funds can only be used on school facilities, new construction, renovations, safety and security, buses, and infrastructure. They cannot be used for salary increases, school supplies, or operating costs.
BCISD included an at-a-glance look at the planned projects in a press release for the bond. The projects listed are:
Burnet Middle School – New Academic Facility and Renovations
- New academic building and performance space designed for 900 students, with capacity to expand to 1,200 students in the future
- Classrooms and collaborative learning spaces
- Science labs and elective spaces
- Library/media center
- Cafeteria and kitchen
- Special education spaces
- Renovation of existing Fine Arts and Athletics spaces
RJ Richey Elementary – Campus Improvements
- Redesigned interior spaces to improve capacity and flow
- New academic classrooms built within existing cafeteria and courtyard space
- Conversion of interior gym into a cafetorium and kitchen
- Dedicated art and music rooms
- Right-sized special education spaces
- Increases student capacity to better match the district’s other elementary schools and delay the need for an additional new elementary campus
Deferred Maintenance at Campuses
- Roof replacement
- Electrical system upgrades
- HVAC replacements
- Replacement of selected interior finishes
- Building protection system upgrades
- Conversion to energy-efficient LED lighting
Bertram Elementary School
- New secure front entry to improve safety and controlled access
Districtwide Needs and Future Planning
- Replacement of aging buses to support safe and reliable transportation
- Refresh of student technology devices used for instruction and assessments (Proposition B)
- Purchase of land for a future elementary school and a future middle school near Bertram
Note that these projects and the bond itself are still early in the planning process, and may be subject to change.
For more information on the bond, contact BCISD administration at 512-756-2124, or visit the board’s website.