Frisco District Looks to Bond for Growth

DALLAS — Frisco Independent School District, Texas, is planning a general obligation bond referendum in May that will provide for an enrollment of 62,000 students in the fast-growing north Dallas suburb.

The district is wrapping up work on one high school and about to begin construction on another new high school and two elementary schools. The projects are the final phase of a $798 million bond program approved by voters in 2006.

Rapid growth in the district requires constant additions, said superintendent Jeremy Lyon.

"We plan to go to the community in May 2014 with a construction bond proposal," he said. "We don't know how big it's going to be yet, but we're getting there."

Schools funded with proceeds from the 2006 bonds will allow the district to accommodate 52,000 students. The 2006 authorization will be committed and expended by fiscal 2015.

Other schools will be needed beginning in 2016 to meet the needs of continued growth, district officials said, creating the need for new bond funds to be available.

Enrollment in the 2013 fall semester is expected to top 45,000. Projections by the Frisco district indicate the 52,000 level will be reached by 2016.

With steady increases of approximately 3,000 students a year, enrollment is expected to total 55,000 in 2018 and 65,000 in 2023.

The 2014 bond program would fund a program with nine additional schools, including five new elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools. Other bond projects may include a new stadium and additions to two campuses.

"It's a constant challenge," Lyon said. "This district has been such a fast-growth district that it is very good at building and planning to build schools."

The Frisco district has seven schools in 1998. It will open its seventh high school later this month, and the 14th middle school and the 36th elementary school by 2016.

Trustees must decide in January whether to set a May bond election. A citizen's advisory committee was established in April 2013.

Frisco is about 25 miles north of downtown Dallas. The district's $1.3 billion of outstanding GO debt is rated Aa1 by Moody's Investors Service, AA-minus by Fitch, and AA-plus by Standard & Poor's. The credit is enhanced to triple-A with coverage by the Texas Permanent School Fund.

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