On May 7, 2016, Plano ISD voters will decide on a $481 million bond proposal to fund initiatives recommended by the Plano ISD Facilities and Technology Task Force.
Appointed in August, 2015 by the Plano ISD Board of Trustees, the task force was comprised of citizens, business leaders, teachers and parents. During several meetings conducted this school year, the task force reviewed enrollment trends and projections, established construction and renovation needs and validated costs before making recommendations to the school board. On February 2, trustees approved the order calling for the May 7 bond election.
Collin County voters residing within the Plano ISD attendance zone will be asked to consider a single proposition to provide $481 million toward eight major project areas with no increase to the tax rate. If approved, all Plano ISD campuses will be impacted by district-wide security updates, renovations and facility upgrades, as well as technology improvements. Reroofing projects and construction of permanent classroom space to replace portables will be funded from a combination of surplus funds generated through the 2013 Tax Ratification Election (TRE) and unissued bond funds from the 2008 bond program.
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$69 million for a Performing Arts Center is out of site for PISD. Other school districts cited by Plano ISD as justification and examples with 1500 seats), primarily spent between $10 million and $15 million (examples Texarkana and Bastrop). Even Allen ISD which went way over the top, only budgeted $23.3 million for a performing arts center that also included a black box theater and practice facilities for the Band, Choir and Orchestra. Allen had budget overruns and actually spent $30.2 million but that is still less than half of PISD’s proposal. Since PISD is proposing a central site, it will not make sense to have practice facilities (Allen PAC is next to the sole high school and readily available for practice.) If this is a glorious community performing arts center, shouldn’t it be built by the City not the PISD? Or better yet and like all of Dallas’s facilities (Winspear, Nasher, Wyly, Meyerson, AT&T Performing Arts Center), built with private donations and almost no taxpayer funds. Interest on $69 million at 4% is almost $3 million per year plus the district estimates it will cost at least $500,000 per year to operate.