School districts are required by state law to ask voters for permission to sell bonds to investors in order to raise the capital dollars required to renovate existing buildings or build a new school. Essentially, it’s permission to take out a loan to build, renovate and pay that loan back over an extended period of time, much like a family takes out a mortgage loan for their home.

This bond proposal is the result of a collaborative community process that included citizens, city leaders, board members, district staff, teachers, and parents.

Over several months, the Mildred ISD Facility Planning Committee reviewed enrollment data, assessed district facilities, and developed a comprehensive recommendation for the Board of Trustees. The proposed projects were designed to address projected student growth, expand academic and extracurricular programs, enhance safety and security, and address aging facilities across the district.

Under state law, bond funds must be used for items authorized by the election ballot.

The school district itself does not set property values. Property values are determined by the Navarro County Appraisal District, an independent government agency responsible for assessing the market value of properties in the county each year. 

The Appraisal District looks at things like: 

1. Recent sales of similar homes in your area 

2. Market trends (supply and demand) 

3. Improvements or changes made to your property 

4. Overall neighborhood growth and development 

In short: The school district doesn’t control your home’s value—the real estate market and the county appraisal process do. Find out more information here.

The Facility Planning Committee (FPC) ultimately recommended turf for inclusion in the bond package after considering the following discussion points:

Maintenance & Upkeep

The FPC discussed that, in their review, turf can provide a playing surface that may be used more consistently throughout the year and may require less routine maintenance than natural grass. Committee members discussed that this could reduce time spent on activities such as mowing, watering, lining, and field repairs. The FPC further discussed that this potential reduction in maintenance time could allow coaches and staff to focus more on instruction, practice planning, and student development.

Consistency for Students

The FPC discussed that turf provides a uniform playing surface and noted that many schools and athletic facilities utilize turf fields. Committee members discussed their belief that practicing and competing on a similar surface could help support scheduling flexibility and provide more consistent playing conditions for student activities.

The Facility Planning Committee (FPC) discussed a wide range of potential projects throughout the planning process — including the possibility of a new high school.

As part of those discussions, the FPC considered the district’s bond capacity (how much the district and community are able to fund) alongside the identified needs and priorities across the district.

After evaluating those factors, the FPC recommended the current proposed bond projects. The committee discussed that, given the district’s bonding capacity, the projects included in the proposal were the highest priorities at this time.

The FPC also discussed that the recommended projects would impact students across the entire district, which was an important consideration in their decision-making process.

The Facility Planning Committee discussed several factors when considering the timing of the bond. Three key factors included: 
 
1. Solar Farms 
With the addition of solar farms being constructed in Mildred ISD, the district's tax base is expected to grow. Shortly after construction, the appraised value of a solar project is typically highest because the equipment is still near the beginning of its useful life. Texas property tax laws, however, include a statutory depreciation scheme for these projects that assumes a 10-year useful life and permits total depreciation of as much as 80% through that period. The initially higher appraised value supports the district’s bonding capacity. The district can pledge debt service tax revenues from that larger tax base to service larger amounts of bond debt. Once the solar equipment ages and its appraised value declines, the district's tax base also declines. The same tax rate applied to a smaller assessed value generates less revenue, which means the district can support less bond debt. In order to utilize the bonding capacity from these facilities to the greatest extent, the district is proposing to structure its bond issues to align with the expected depreciation of these facilities.

2. Community Growth 
When developing the bond package, the Facility Planning Committee reviewed student enrollment projections from Zonda Demographics, which identified more than 1,570 vacant residential lots across 32 active subdivisions within the district. Based on this anticipated growth, Mildred ISD is projected to add approximately 150 to 300 students over the next 10 years. 

3. Rising Construction Costs 
Construction costs, labor, and material costs have trended upward in the years following the COVID pandemic. Waiting several more years could make the same projects more expensive if construction costs continue on this trend.