MISD Bond Election Results
Updated: 8:42am, Nov. 7, 2007

UPDATE: Below are the final results from the Midlothian ISD bond election. The results as reported in the Dallas Morning News dated November 7th are incorrect.

Board Calls November 6, 2007 Bond Election
Updated: 8-29-07

 View the Bond Facts Brochure (Spanish version)

Bond Questions & Answers

Q - How much does MISD owe in bond debt?

A -  Click here to view the “Top 200” Texas Independent School Districts – Ranked By Total Principal Amount Of Bonds Outstanding.

Q - How does MISD compare to other fast growth school districts?

A -  Click here to view a comparison chart of districts within the DFW area.

Q - How did the Bond Steering Committee come up with the $98,000,000 for High School #2?

A - VLK Architects worked with teachers, administrators and community representatives over a series of months during the spring of 2007 to develop educational specifications for a second high school.  These educational specifications defined the types of spaces, quantity of spaces and standard of quality of building systems desired by MISD in the second high school.  This information was used to project the cost for the facility that would accommodate 2,500 students and resulted in a total project cost of $138,000,000.

The cost estimate was based not only on historical data from VLK Architects for like projects, but also by comparing costs from other architectural firms and current bids from high schools in other fast growth suburban districts including Northwest ISD, Celina ISD, Frisco ISD, Keller ISD and Prosper ISD.  These schools represent similar scale and qualities of projects developed in MISD and were designed by a variety of school architectural design firms including PBK, SHW, Corgan and VLK Architects.  An 8% annual inflation rate was applied to the project costs to buffer the rapid construction inflation.

To offset the initial estimate, cost savings strategies were considered by the Bond Steering Committee and it was determined to phase the delivery of the second high school.  By delaying ultimate build out to accommodate 2,500 students to a later time, we were able to reduce the square footage and cost associated with the initial phase, parallel our projected capacity needs, and save on operation cost for the facility.

Proposition one of $98,800,000 represents the total project cost for the high school.  The project cost includes not only construction cost for the buildings, but costs for site development; off-site development including road improvements, utility extensions of water, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, gas, and telecommunications; professional fees; furniture, fixtures, and equipment; and inflation.  The on-site construction cost represents only $72,442,219 of the entire project cost.  The Mansfield ISD High School #5 construction cost is set at $84,279,217 with an estimated total project cost of $101,000,000.

The renovations and additions to our current high school by VLK Architects received awards for both value and design at the TASB/TASA 2007 Fall Conference.  Also, our newest elementary school is under construction at a cost lower than originally anticipated.

Q - I know that the large corporations in Midlothian (TXI, Holcim, Ashgrove, and Chaparral Steel, etc.) receive hefty school tax exemptions. How much do they pay for school taxes as compared to me, as a homeowner? I think it is only fair that all properties in Midlothian are taxed equally and share the burden equally.

A - Tax rates for businesses are the same as for other property owners - except that businesses do not get homestead exemption. It is simply not true that large corporations get hefty school tax exemptions in the Midlothian ISD. Like any other property owner, businesses will be assessed property taxes for the 2007-08 school year of $1.04 for every $100 of taxable value for Maintenance and Operations, and $0.3275 per $100 of taxable value for the Interest and Sinking fund (debt service).

In addition to the state homestead exemption of $15,000, MISD is the only school district in Ellis County that provides an additional 10% local exemption of homestead value.

Q - The upcoming bond proposal relies heavily on growth projections from Templeton Demographics. However, I have not seen what data is included to arrive at these projections. How can I get a copy of the study and the assumptions used in this projection?

A -You can access a Quarterly Report provided by Templeton Demographics. Please view our District Information website and click on Enrollment Report located on the left-hand column.

Q - I have heard that when the proposed High School No. 2 opens in 2010 that it will only be a 9th and 10th grade campus.  Is that true, and if so, when will it change to being a 9 through 12th grade campus?

A - The proposed High School No. 2 will be designed as a 9-12 campus with an initial capacity of 1,800 students and core facilities to accommodate the future capacity of 2,500 students. It will open with all the facilities needed for a 4A high school program. This new facility will not open just as a 9-10 campus.

Q - What school tax exemptions do Midlothian taxpayers receive?

A - Homeowners receive a $15,000 state exemption off of the property valuation. In addition, MISD is the only school district in Ellis County that provides an additional 10% local exemption of the homestead value. (See above chart ‘How much will it cost a taxpayer’)

Q - This bond proposal relies heavily on growth projections from Templeton Demographics. How can I get a copy of the growth study?

A - The Templeton Demographics quarterly report, growth projections, and MISD weekly attendance reports are available on the District Information page under the click Enrollment Report link located on the left-hand column.

Q - Will the class of 2010-2011 seniors be required to attend the High School No. 2?

A - No. Seniors who are in the class of 2010-2011 will not be required to attend High School No. 2.

Q - How come MISD won’t build a 9th grade center instead of a 2nd high school?

A - The Growth Management Committee and administrators completed a grade configuration and capacity study in 2004. Based on their study, the recommended grade configurations and class sizes are: elementary (PreK-5th) up to 750 students; middle school (6th-8th) up to 1,200 students; and high school (9th-12th) up to 2,500 students.

Q - Would a 9th grade center allow us to stay 4A?

A - No. The Texas University Interscholastic League (UIL) determines the 4A/5A classification based on 9th-12th grade total enrollment. Therefore, having a separate 9th grade center would not guarantee that MHS would remain a 4A school.

Q - Why do we need another Agricultural Facility?

A - MHS has an Agricultural Building, which has instructional classrooms and a welding shop for MHS students. However, the proposed Agricultural Science Facility will provide Jr. FFA and High School FFA students a facility to experience raising and caring for a farm animal.

Q - How did the Bond Steering Committee (BSC) come up with the $98,800,000 for High School No. 2?

A - VLK Architects worked with MISD staff and community representatives to develop educational specifications for a second high school. These specifications defined the types of spaces, quantity of spaces and standard of quality of building systems desired by MISD. This information was used to project the cost for the facility that would accommodate 2,500 students and initially resulted in a total project cost of $138,000,000. This cost estimate was based on a comparison of not only other VLK projects, but also on similar projects from other architectural firms in the metroplex.

To offset the initial estimate, cost savings strategies were considered by the BSC and it was determined to phase the delivery of the second high school.  By delaying ultimate build out to accommodate 2,500 students to a later time, we reduced the square footage and proposed costs associated with the initial phase in line with our projected capacity needs, and reduced the proposed operation costs for the facility.