At the Feb.13 Board Meeting, CISD Trustees voted to call a bond election that will be on the May 6 ballot. Any CISD resident who is registered to vote may cast a ballot in this election. The $321.511 million referendum consists of the following propositions:

Proposition A: $269.584 million

• Priority condition improvements at all CISD campuses, which includes

• New playgrounds and playground shading at all CISD elementary schools, (except for Canyon Ranch Elementary, which opened in 2019) 
• Interior refresh, including new flooring and painting, at CISD elementary schools and facilities (except for Canyon Ranch Elementary and Richard J. Lee Elementary) 
• Classroom and office furnishings at schools and buildings 
• HVAC replacements based on condition life cycles
• Site improvements (e.g. drainage, sidewalks, fencing, signage, ADA and resurfacing the walking track at 9 elementary schools, aside from Lee and Canyon Ranch)
• Roof replacement and repairs based on condition life cycles

• Elementary renovations and PreK classroom additions at three elementary schools 
• Safety and security features at all schools and buildings
• Multipurpose lab/makerspace for STEM at all middle schools
• Fine Arts rehearsal space addition at CMS North
• Fine Arts rehearsal building at Coppell High School
• Career and Technical Education and STEM labs at CHS
• Internal renovation of the auditorium at the CHS9 campus 
• The purchase of school buses and vehicles
• The purchase of capital equipment, including fine arts instruments
• Funding for network security and telecommunications infrastructure

Proposition B: $39.472 million

• District technology, including upgrades and lifecycle replacements of student and staff devices, wireless access and audiovisual equipment

Proposition C: $2.931 million 

• Renovations to Buddy Echols Field, including turf and track lifecycle replacements and seat backs

Proposition D: $9.524 million

• Coppell High School Field House lifecycle turf replacement and Tennis Center improvements and locker room addition

Voters will be asked to vote “for” or “against” each bond proposition. The deadline to register to vote in the May 6 election is April 6. 

During Early Voting, from April 24 to May 2, CISD voters may vote at any Dallas County Vote Center. On Election Day, Saturday, May 6, CISD voters may vote at any Dallas County Vote Center. 

The district’s current tax rate is the lowest it has been in 30 years. A district's property tax rate consists of a maintenance and operations (M&O) tax rate and an interest and sinking (I&S) tax rate. The district will ask voters for permission to sell bonds to provide funds to pay for construction, renovations, and other capital projects. Once the bonds are sold the district owes principal and interest payments on the bonds. The district's I&S tax rate, sometimes called the debt service tax rate,  is set yearly to allow the district to pay the principal and interest payments.  The I&S tax revenue is not subject to recapture by the state. CISD has one of the lowest I&S tax rates in the North Texas Area.

The district anticipates that the $321.511 million bond package would at the most increase the CISD I&S tax rate by $.0744 cents per $100 of valuation over the next five years. That means the owner of an average home in CISD of approximately $450,000 in taxable value, could at the most see an increase of $335 per year or $28 a month. Homeowners over 65 that have their school district taxes frozen would see no tax increase.

The M&O tax rate provides funds for maintenance and operations like salaries and utilities and is subject to recapture by the state of Texas. In 2022-2023, CISD has budgeted to send $46.5 million or about 26 percent of its M&O budget back to the state of Texas for the state’s general fund. 

A recent audit for the Fiscal Year 2022 showed savings in the CISD M&O Budget. The CISD 2021-2022 budget was adopted with a deficit of $1.8 million. That deficit was not realized and instead, CISD showed a positive addition to the CISD Fund Balance of $420,896. The district, through conservative budgeting and fiscal management, saved approximately $3.1 million in budgeted expenditures last fiscal year. 

CISD’s bond ratings are Aa1/AA+, the highest ratings assigned to Texas school districts by Moody’s, Fitch Ratings, and Standard & Poor’s Rating Agencies. For 20 consecutive years, CISD has earned the highest rating of “Superior Achievement” in the state’s Schools FIRST (Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas) program. 

CISD officials will be scheduling meetings at campuses and buildings and in the community to present information and answer questions about the bond. For more information or to request a meeting, please visit www.coppellisd.com/bond or email Bond23@coppellisd.com.