Bonds are paid from ad valorem (property) taxes and, therefore, school districts are required by Texas state law to ask voters for permission to borrow money. If voters approve, the district will essentially take out a loan and pay back that loan with interest over time as designated by the agreed bond term limits (up to 40 year terms). This process is similar to taking out a home mortgage.

Regardless of the outcome of this bond election, the district’s due to the financial impacts (added property tax base) of Steel Dynamics.

Yes. The deadline for voter registration is Monday, October 5, 2020. If you are not registered to vote by this deadline, then you are not eligible to vote in this election. The Texas Voter Registration Application can be found here.

Bonds are a debt tool issued over a period of time for the purpose of raising capital by borrowing from investors. Bonds are sold by a school district to competing lenders to pay for the costs of large capital projects such as new construction, renovations of existing structures, or large equipment replacement.

The district can only use bond funds for the purposes described in the bond proposal. Should there be a cost savings from projects, the Board of Trustees will consult with its legal counsel to determine how any excess funds may be lawfully spent.

Bond funds cannot be used for salaries or operating costs of the district such as utility bills, supplies, etc. These expenses must come from the district’s maintenance and operations budget. Bond funds can only be used to finance new construction and additions, renovations, land purchase, large equipment replacement, technology infrastructure, etc. Bond funds come from the district’s interest and sinking budget.

On July 22, 2019, Steel Dynamics announced that Sinton, Texas will be the location of their newest and largest steel plant complex. The new complex will bring nearly 650 new jobs and other supporting businesses to Sinton. This will more than triple the district’s certified value allowing the district to maintain the current tax rate of $1.4483.

Any registered voter who resides within the Sinton ISD boundaries. If you don’t know if you’re eligible to vote in the SISD bond election, Click here and use the login to check your voter registration status, elections on your ballot, poll location, early voting locations, and key election dates.

The bond proposal was developed by the Facilities Planning Committee. The committee included more than 70 community members made up of parents, staff, local residents and civic leaders. The committee reviewed a district-wide facility assessment, district financial information and tax impact scenarios, and also toured the high school before developing and prioritizing potential project options. All committee meetings were advertised and open to the public allowing all Sinton residents an opportunity to participate in the planning process.

Sinton High School was built 53 years ago with various renovations and additions over time. Currently, we are limited in expanding core areas, such as classrooms, Career/ Tech classrooms, fine arts, auditorium, administration and support services, and food services. Due to the aging infrastructure, there are several educational and functional inefficiencies to support 21st century learning and beyond. It is more cost effective for the district to build a new campus and will not require phased construction.

Regardless of the outcome of this bond election, there is no tax rate increase for taxpayers (added property tax base) due to the financial impacts of Steel Dynamics.SISD does not plan to sell all of the bonds immediately. We are very cognizant of our tax base, so we will only issue the bonds in increments in which the tax base can support without a tax rate increase. We want to ensure the tax base can support any bonds sold and since Steel Dynamics will take a couple years to generate their full taxable value, it is more prudent to only sell what the tax base can afford in the first couple years.

Immediately, there is no impact. It will take a couple years for the taxable property value of Steel Dynamics to become available to SISD. We have existing debt and the current tax base will continue to be needed to fund the previously voted-authorized debt. If SISD pursued a similar size election in a few years, there could be a tax rate increase at that time due to the increase of construction costs, nearly 12% inflation rate per year, and we will not have captured the full effect of the taxes Steel Dynamics would have paid over the next few years.

EC&R came into play for SISD back in 2008. At their peak value in 2010, they brought $85 million in taxable value to our roll. At that time, that was 20% of our tax base. While Steel Dynamics is much larger and a higher concentration, what we are recommending will be structured and sold in ways to reduce our reliance on this single taxpayer. Meaning, we will look to allow the tax base to be realized before adding the debt.

Currently, middle school students are bused to the high school daily during 7th period athletics and after school practice for all tennis and track activities. Adding a track and tennis courts to the middle school will allow students to remain on campus.

The current weight room, fieldhouse, offices, and stadium restrooms and concessions are undersized for their utilization along with not meeting current ADA and code compliances. A new multi-purpose building will allow for a new weight room, fieldhouse, practice field, athletic administrative offices, and stadium restrooms and concessions to be housed under one roof and climate controlled. Due to the aging structures and functional inefficiencies, it is more cost effective to build new facilities. The indoor practice field can be used by various activities and programs throughout the day regardless of weather conditions