ROISD School Board approves callfor $213.9M Bond Election

On January 27, 2025, the Red Oak ISD School Board approved the administrative recommendation for phase 2 of the long-term facility plan, which calls for a $213.9 million bond election for May 3, 2025.

The bond will address capacity issues and future growth at the high school and elementary levels and address the need for student opportunity space and renovations to aging facilities.

The approved bond proposal will be divided into three propositions. Voters will vote on each proposition. The approval of all propositions will not impact the current Red Oak ISD tax rate.

Prop A – $155.2M

• High School –
  • New Career & Technical Education (CTE) Building – $79.1M
    • Expanded square footage to ~90,000 to include ALL CTE courses from MS, TSTC, and HS, plus space for growth and added kitchen learning space for future culinary arts
    • Added kitchen and cafeteria to ease lunch overcrowding at current HS
    • Includes additional parking
  • HS Practice Gym Addition and HS Renovations (floors, gym seating) – $17.3M
• Elementary Schools –
  • New elementary school – $56.6M
    • ROISD owns the property of the proposed elementary site on Harmony Way, off Uhl Rd., north of Ovilla Rd.)
  • ADA Compliant Playgrounds (All 5 elementary schools) – $2.2M

Prop B – $11.9M

• High School Athletic Improvements
  • New Subvarsity Athletic Facility – 8-lane track, turf field, restrooms/concessions, small bleachers, parking, fencing, retention pond
  • Baseball/Softball Artificial Turf at Existing Fields

Prop C – $46.8M

• Goodloe Stadium – (turf and track have already been completed inhouse)
  • New Restrooms, Locker Rooms, and Concessions
  • Additional Parking and driveway loop
  • Seating overhaul on both sides with added capacity
  • LED Field Lighting

In the fall of 2021, a Citizen’s Facility Planning Committee (CFPC) of about 50 diverse members created a master plan for the future facility development of the district. Using projections on growth, facility assessments, District financials, and implications of various scenarios they created a bond package for 2022. While that initial bond did not pass, the master plan was restructured for phases to address growth and long-range facility needs.

Phase 1 was the passing of a new middle school to address the overcrowding at the current middle school. Phase 2 is to address the elementary and high school growth, as both areas reach capacity and outgrow existing space. This phase also includes facilities out of date with ADA -specifically elementary playgrounds and Goodloe Stadium – and new or renovated spaces that improve student opportunities. Phase 3 will include non-student space including the transportation facility.

Growth Estimates

Red Oak ISD has passed two bonds in 20 years. In 2007, a $97 million bond was passed for the construction of Red Oak High School and Shields Elementary School. The second passed in 2023 for the middle school currently being built.

Nearly 700 students have been added since the 2020 school year with approximately 6,700 students now enrolled and the projected enrollment topping 7,000 by 2026-2027. Data from the City of Red Oak estimates almost 2,000 new single-family homes are on track to be completed in the next five years, with an average of 2.95 people per home. Glenn Heights is seeing even faster growth with Schupmann Elementary now over 750 students and Shields Elementary over 650 students. Red Oak High School is right at 2,300 students with a functional capacity of 2,165 in the main building. The use of TSTC and the CTE building at Red Oak MS, alleviate some space but impact learning times with travel.

Tax Rate and Community Impact

To say school financing is complicated is an understatement. But in general, school districts get funding based on the number of students enrolled AND attending school. The Average Daily Attendance formula also gets complicated by weighted sub-populations of students including special education, career and technical education, and more. Of note, the State Legislature has not increased the base funding allotment since 2019. The $6,160 per student has decreased by $1,340 in buying power since 2020 due to inflation; a statewide decrease of $9.86B.

Red Oak ISD has been able to reduce the district tax rate each of the past six years while still managing the Maintenance and Operations (M&O) of the District including staff raises. The Interest and Sinking (I&S) tax rate can be used only for paying debt through bonds. The District has utilized funds from Maintenance Tax Notes, capital projects funds, and Operating Funds (M&O) to complete smaller district facility projects, purchase vehicles, improve facility and cyber security, and enhance district facilities for ROISD students. But, the building of large-scale projects needs a larger funding source.

The District can currently ‘borrow’ just over $215 million in bonds without raising the current tax rate. The bonding capacity includes the full $97.5M for the current middle school; however, only $80M in bonds have been sold to date and the project is well under budget. Should all three propositions be approved by voters, the ROISD I&S tax rate would NOT increase. The current I&S tax rate of $0.3481 will remain.

Additional information about the Red Oak ISD Bond is available online at www.roisdbond.com

KEY VOTING DATES:

• Deadline to Register to Vote – Thursday, April 3
• Early Voting – April 22-29 (locations and times vary)
• Election Day – Saturday, May 3, 2025; Polls 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• For more information, visit the Ellis County Elections website.