The Frisco ISD bond planning committee is working to develop a potential 2027 bond proposal to possibly be put on the ballot in May. District officials say the money could help replace technology, band instruments and uniforms, HVAC units, and gym equipment.
“The biggest needs that we're talking about with the committee are just how do we continue to maintain the programs that we have,” Kimberly Smith, deputy superintendent of business and operations said. “It's not about building anything shiny and new…it's really just about maintaining the quality that our community has come to expect so far.”
The 98-member planning committee started work late last month and are expected to put together a final package to recommend to the school board later this month. The Board of Trustees could call the election in late January or early February and if they do – it would be on the ballot in May.
Smith said proposed fine arts and athletics projects are focused on replacing aging or worn-out equipment rather than expanding programs or adding new facilities.
“So if you think about instruments for band and orchestra, if you think about uniforms from the last about 10 years… they need to be replaced,” she said. “We can't replace 12 high schools worth of equipment in one summer, so we have a rotation schedule that we presented to the group and we talked through, you know, how much does it cost to replace instruments on a campus and that kind of thing.”
As planning continues, one thing the committee is keeping in mind is the possibility of school closures. Smith said while there’s been a boom in population over the past few decades, the district is seeing a decline in enrollment.
“We are really focusing heavily on how we sustain what we have built, while also being responsible about the fact that our enrollment is declining, and so we're monitoring campus capacities.”
This bond comes after the failure of the district’s 2024 bond proposal which Smith said was likely due to the size of the bond, the timing during a presidential election year, and the lack of education provided to voters. She said those lessons are shaping how the committee moves forward.
“That's one of the reasons that the committee is so large and we were really careful about making sure that we selected a wide range of voices to be in that bond planning committee,” Smith said. “We also learned that we needed to do a better job educating our community on what the needs are of our campuses, and what possibly could happen if a bond doesn't pass or if we run out of bond funding.”
Smith said the improvements may not be as visible as building new schools, but they are necessary to maintain school buildings and prevent problems such as failing air conditioning systems and flooding.
