Questions

The Ferris ISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously to call a $134,740,000 bond election for the May 3, 2025 ballot. The District’s Community Advisory Committee played a key role in this decision. Parents, teachers, staff, and community members shared their unique perspectives as the committee identified needs and developed a recommendation for the Board.

Typically, new construction (from bond passage to completion) takes about 30-36 months, depending on weather and scope of project.

By law, bond funds cannot be used for payroll expenses or any daily operational costs such as utilities, supplies, fuel, and insurance.  Instead, bond funds can only be used for new buildings, additions and renovations, land acquisition, technology infrastructure and equipment, or school buses.

A school district’s tax rate is comprised of two components or “buckets”. The first bucket is the Maintenance and Operations budget (M&O), which funds daily costs and recurring or consumable expenditures such as teacher and staff salaries, supplies, software and utilities. The second bucket is the Interest and Sinking budget (I&S), also known as Debt Service, and that is for longer-term capital improvements approved by voters through bond elections. I&S funds cannot by law be used to pay M&O expenses, which means that voter-approved bonds cannot be used to increase teacher salaries or pay rising costs for utilities and services.

Under state law, if you have applied for and received the Age 65 Freeze on your homestead, your school taxes CANNOT be raised above their frozen level unless you make significant improvements or additions to your home. To apply for the Age 65 freeze, contact your county’s Central Appraisal District.

Early voting takes place from April 22 to April 29, and you can cast a ballot at any Ferris ISD voting location during this time. Election Day is Saturday, May 3.

Anyone at least 18 years of age and living within the boundaries of Ferris ISD is eligible to vote.  You must be registered by Thursday, April 3, 2025 in order to participate in this election.

You can check your registration status at www.votetexas.gov.

If you need to update your address, you can simply fill out this form online to make a change.

A conceptual site plan can be viewed at this link:
https://ferrisisdbond.org/proposed-projects/

A Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) will be conducted as part of the planning process. This study will evaluate current traffic patterns and identify the potential impact of a new school.

The site layout would include multiple access points to help distribute traffic and reduce congestion, particularly along 8th Street. While some roadway improvements may involve coordination with TXDOT, the District will also look at strategic improvements that can be addressed independently, for instance staggered start and release times.

Traffic flow and safety will be considered throughout the design and construction process.

The Ferris ISD bond ($134,740,000) includes a grade realignment to the elementaries, creates an addition at Longino Elementary and adds a new 5th–6th grade intermediate campus. These proposed changes are based on a demographic study conducted for the District, and allow for focused grade-level instruction to help improve academic accountability.

In addition, the District had a facility assessment completed, which identified the recommended scope of work and improvements needed across the District.

The facility upgrades and improvements address items like functioning heating and air conditioning, and repairs to aging infrastructure such as leaks. These updates are intended to support consistent instruction by improving the overall learning environment for both students and teachers.

Should the bond pass, the District will not receive the total amount of $134,740,000 all at once. Instead, the District will work with its financial advisor to conduct phased sales of the bonds as projected values increase in the community from residential and commercial growth.

The timing and amount of each sale will depend on the project construction schedule, academic calendar, and financial market conditions. For more details, see the District’s facility assessment timeline.