FAQs

Wylie ISD Enrollment has grown by 2184 students over the past five years (+21%) and increased by 4,903 since 2008 (+43%).  Since 2013/2014 the District has averaged a 3.8% annual increase in enrollment - on average, 563 students per year.  We have grown approximately 1500 students in 2 years. From 2017 to 2018 total enrollment increased by 740 students (4.7%).  In Fall 2018 all grades except Pre-K are at record enrollment levels.

Fortunately, we are able to predict growth a little more accurately than in years past. We utilize two demographers who study available land and housing trends to help us determine where the growth will occur. The challenge is when a development like Inspiration decides to reduce lot sizes to build more homes or when additional property is sold to developers which was previously unavailable.  

There are two primary reasons: cost and rezoning. A new elementary school costs about $20 million to build and $4 million annually to operate. If we chose to build a new elementary school, Cox, Dodd, Groves, Watkins and Whitt would still need some renovations/additions based on their enrollment projections.  The total construction cost is beyond our bond capacity and would result in a tax rate increase. Also, the annual operating budget would be a challenge with the State’s current funding plan.

Rezoning families is one of the most difficult jobs we face. We are grateful that students and parents build relationships with their campuses. We do not like to disrupt this. So far, we have been able to balance enrollment by rezoning neighborhoods in very precise moves or by making changes prior to families moving in. Parents have expressed that they wish to remain in current feeder patterns and not be rezoned. Adding onto these campuses will drastically reduce changes in attendance zone boundaries now and in the future.

Adding onto each intermediate and junior high will save taxpayers approximately $68 million in construction costs.  The construction cost for a new intermediate school is about $31.6 million and a new junior high would cost about $36 million.  This doesn't include the annual operating costs which are between $6 million and $8 million. Our newer campuses were designed and built to be expanded, and the proposed additions will fit into the existing plan.

Besides the major rezoning that would occur, new high schools in North Texas are costing more than $150 million to construct, plus the additional annual operational cost of $10 million. While the cost and rezoning associated with a new high school are challenging enough, based on our long-range growth predictions we will not need a third high school.

The proposed additions to the high school include renovations and additions to career and technology education programs, fine arts programs, athletics and additional parking based on studies of high schools with enrollments of 3100 students.  Based on a year-long study, Wylie ISD has developed a general standard for square footage requirements for fine arts storage, locker room needs and performance venues.  The gym addition at each high school will have a seating capacity of 2000 (not including floor space) and may be used for concerts, pep rallies and assemblies.  

The district does have land purchased for a third high school in the northern part of the school district.  The land was purchased by Wylie ISD in case there was ever a need for a third high school.  Based on current demographer projections, building a third high school is not necessary at this time.

We approved the architect and engineer to honor the Board goal of not increasing our tax rate.  Many bond packages will include the cost of services provided by the architect and engineer.  Paying for these funds now, out of the district fund balance, allows us to save between $7 and $8 million in interest costs.  Additionally this enables the architect and engineers to begin working on design documents immediately in anticipation of beginning construction in August of 2019.  This will save more money by reducing costs associated with inflation in construction.

So what if the bond doesn't pass?  We will still need to complete these projects eventually.  The design documents will be ready when the funds become available.

If passed, this proposal will not raise your school property tax rateˆ. This is possible because of several factors.  First, new homes in our district are priced considerably higher than in past years providing us with higher property values. And, thanks to Wylie ISD’s history of sound financial management and fiscal responsibility, we have one of the highest credit ratings of any educational organization.  These factors, combined with the strong bond market, have allowed us to refinance current bonds and increase our bonding capacity without raising the school tax rate.

No Impact on Senior Citizens' Property Taxes

Wylie ISD property taxes for citizens age 65 or older will not be affected by the bond election as long as a homestead and over 65 exemption application have been filed with the local appraisal district.

According to state law, the dollar amount of school taxes imposed on the residence homestead of a person 65 years of age or older cannot be increased above the amount paid in the first year after the person turned 65 – regardless of changes in tax rate or property value – unless significant improvements are made to the home.

ˆassuming assessed values do not decrease

This proposal lists clearly and specifically how funds will be spent. Any “general funding” items have been removed. To see how we utilized the previous bond funds, you can review our Bond 2014 information.

We do have land for schools that was purchased/obtained several years ago. No new land purchases are included in this bond proposal and no new campuses are scheduled to be built.

Our elementary campuses are designed to accommodate students primarily in traditional classrooms which doesn’t account for specialized programs such as Art, Gifted and Talented, English Language Learner and Special Education Classes. Flex spaces will provide space to accommodate these types of needs.

Thanks to the passage of the 2014 Bond proposal, Wylie ISD accommodated the growth of more than 2000 new students over the past 3 years alone. Our new master facilities plan is designed to accommodate the next wave of new student enrollment growth. Nearly every campus is approaching or is at capacity.

The Board of Trustees approved 2 portables during the April board meeting and our demographers indicate that growth will not slow down over the next few years. If a bond proposal does not pass, we will begin the process of the purchase and placement of multiple portables at more than 10 campuses, ranging from elementary to high school.

A complete listing of the bond proposal including items to be included and approximate costs can be found on our website.

Click on the Bond Proposal link.

We welcome your questions and would be happy to speak with you and/or your group. Please contact Ian Halperin, Executive Director of Communications/Community Relations via email or by phone at 972-429-3019.