• DSISD's Bloated Bond Quick Facts

    This Bond is Full of Nonessential, Excessive, and Wasteful Luxury Expenditures—DSISD Wants to Borrow Against Our Homes for Everything but the Kitchen Sink!

    DSISD Wants $34.7 million to Relocate and Rebuild a New Walnut Springs Elementary 1

    When the District recognizes that the current Walnut Springs Elementary Building is "fine." 2

    DSISD Wants $4.12 million to Renovate the Current and "Fine" WSE into a New Administration Building 1

    When also accounting for Middle School sewage upgrades, that's over $39 million to relocate the WSE school that's "fine" and renovate the existing WSE into a new Admin Building.

    DSISD Admits Relocation of WSE is, in part, to Hide the True Cost of the New Administration Building

    In fact, the actual Administration Building cost includes the cost to relocate and rebuild WSE in addition to renovating the current WSE, which totals over $39 million, not $4 million. Regarding reasons for relocating WSE: "the opportunity to obtain a new administration building without the cost of new construction" 2

    DSISD Admits Current WSE is 40% Larger than Needed for a New Administration Building

    "Plans called for 68,000 square feet for the Administrative Building and child care facility. The Walnut Springs building is 110,000 square feet..." That's 42,000 sq ft of excess space! 2

    40% of the Cost of the New WSE is over $15 millionThat's Over 11% of Proposition A's $132 million Bond!

    Not only is the new WSE costing taxpayers over $39 million, but $15 million of that $39 million is for wasted space! 2

    DSISD Wants $9 million for New Land Acquisition 1

    When the District already has over 170 acres of undeveloped land, on two properties, on which to build new schools 4

    DSISD Wants Over $3 million to Expand a Bus Barn, and Add Bus Barn Paving and New Lighting 1

    $3 million is nearly 10% of a brand new school!

    DSISD Wants Nearly $7.6 million for Technology Improvements 1

    After DSISD taxpayers just funded over $3.5 million in Technology Upgrades as part of DSISD's 2014 bond 5

    DSISD Wants $2.81 million for High School and Middle School Athletic Facility Improvements 1

    After District taxpayers just funded over $20 million for new athletics facilities as part of DSISD's $92.4 million 2014 bond 5

    DSISD Wants Additional, Unitemized, Athletics Funds as part of the $21 million High School Upgrades 1

    High school projects include: "Addition of flexible space for wrestling, dance, and cheer"over $3 million total for athletics.6

    DSISD Wants $37.5 million To Build a New, Fifth Elementary School in an Unknown Location 1

    The District cannot even tell us where this new school will be located: "District spokesperson Dale Whitaker said [...] an official location for the school has not been determined." 3

    DSISD Wants Hundreds of Thousands Additional Taxpayer Dollars for Dozens of Nonessential, Excessive, and Luxury Expenditures

    Including a campus-wide furniture replacement, new stage curtains, new astroturf for two football fields, new "scoreboard infrastructure" at DSMS, resurfacing of two running tracks, an aquatic science lab, space for floral design, and more! 1

    DSISD had Originally Planned Two Separate Bond Propositions. Instead, the District is Forcing Our Community to Vote ALL or NOTHING for this Bloated Whopper of a Bondthe $132 million May 2018 DSISD Proposition A!

    As according to by Hays Free Press/News Dispatch: "The board will, at that time, decide whether to call a bond election in the spring, Drippings Springs Independent School District Superintendent Bruce Gearing said.
    The potential bond amounts brought to an election while taking into account the district’s ability to take on debt are $76.44 million and $87.32 million, said Dan Wegmiller, the district’s financial advisor, from Specialized Public Finance, Inc, in his Oct. 30 presentation.
    In the first scenario, the district’s interest and sinking rate (I&S) would stay the same at 35 cents per 100 dollars of a property value.
    [...]

    In the second scenario, the I&S rate would go up one cent to 36 cents per $100 valuation, according to presentation documents." 7

    This is why we encourage you to join us in voting NO on DSISD's disappointing Proposition A on Saturday, May 5th. The students, parents, and taxpayers of our District deserve a bond that's transparent and wisely invests our hard-earned tax dollars in ways that improve the quality of education in the classroom, not a bond that wastes our District's limited resources on unneeded facilities and for increasing bureaucracy.
     

    For the Students, Parents, and Taxpayers of DSISD, Please Join Us in Voting NO on Dripping Springs ISD's Wasteful Proposition A!

  • Reference

    1. https://www.dsisdtx.us/cms/lib/TX02204855/Centricity/Domain/4/BondmailerCOMBINED.pdf

    2. https://www.dsisdbond.net/faq/

    3. https://communityimpact.com/austin/southwest-austin/education/2018/04/19/132-million-bond-package-to-be-included-on-dripping-springs-isd-ballot-in-may/

    4. https://www.dsisdtx.us/Page/447

    5. https://web.archive.org/web/20160212060033/http://dsisdbond.net/bond-information.html

    6. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a8e4c1801002791a9baacc3/t/5aa2cadbc830257fc1c4a3cf/1520618204052/SLIDESfordetailedprojects.pdf

    7. https://haysfreepress.com/2017/11/08/dsisd-eyes-may-2018-bond-for-facilities/