Dangerous Debt - Citizens for Excellent Education in Dripping Springs.

DSISD's Dangerous Debt Quick Facts
This Bond is Financially Irresponsible—DSISD's Debt is Out of Control!

Per-Student Tax-Supported Debt Increased 191.3%
from 2007-2008 to 2015-2016, while student enrollment increased by only 49.6%, according to the Texas Comptroller. ¹
19% of DSISD's Current Budget Goes to Debt Service
That's $8.4 million being spent on DSISD Debt Principal and $7.7 million spent on DSISD Debt Interest just this year! ²
DSISD has More Total Tax-Supported Debt than 90% of School Districts in the Entire State of Texas!
According to the Texas Comptroller, DSISD ranks 99 out 1,024 School Districts statewide for total tax-supported debt. ³
DSISD has More per-Student Tax-Supported Debt than 93% of School Districts Throughout Texas!
According to the Texas Comptroller, DSISD ranks 66 out 1,024 School Districts statewide for per-student tax supported debt. ³
Should the $132 million Bond, Prop A, Pass: DSISD Will Have More Total Tax-Supported Debt than 93% of School Districts in the Entire State of Texas!
According to the Texas Comptroller and should DSISD's $132 million Proposition A Bond pass, all other school districts unchanged, DSISD will rank 71 out 1,024 School Districts statewide for total tax-supported debt. ³
Should the $132 million Bond, Prop A, Pass: DSISD will have More per-Student Tax-Supported Debt than 98% of School Districts throughout Texas!
According to the Texas Comptroller and should DSISD's $132 million Proposition A Bond pass, all other school districts unchanged, DSISD will rank 18 out 1,024 School Districts statewide for per-student tax supported debt. ³
And DSISD is planning an even more expensive, $400 million, bond package for May 2021!
According to Superintendent Bruce Gearing, as quoted by Hays Free Press/News Dispatch. ⁴
More on DSISD's Dangerous Debt

According to the Texas Comptroller: over the past 10 years, Dripping Springs ISD's Tax Supported Debt per Student has increased at nearly FOUR (4) times the rate of DSISD's Student Enrollment.
DSISD Tax Supported Debt per Student increased by 191.3% from 2007-2008 to 2015-2016, while DSISD's Student Enrollment increased by only 49.6% from 2006-2007 to 2015-2016.¹
19% of Dripping Springs ISD's 2017-2018 Official Budget goes towards paying Debt Service. Over $16 million of our community's hard earned tax dollars already go to paying DSISD's Debt each year!
Dripping Springs ISD 2017-2018 Official Budget, Page 12, Legally Adopted Funds, Expenditures: 71‐Debt Administration, $16,200,590 total ²
Dripping Springs ISD 2017-2018 Official Budget, Page 13, Legally Adopted Funds, Expenditures: General Fund 69%, Debt Service 19%, Recapture 8%, Child Nutrition 4% ²
This year, DSISD is spending over $7.7 million of our community's hard-earned tax dollars on just their Debt Interest. Debt Interest payments total 48% of DSISD's Debt Service payments this year!
$7,744,800 71‐Debt Administration‐Interest divided by $16,200,590 total Debt Administration expenditures = 47.8% ²
Dripping Springs ISD 2017-2018 Official Budget, Page 12, Legally Adopted Funds, Expenditures: 71‐Debt Administration, $16,200,590 total ²
According to the Texas Comptroller, Dripping Springs ISD is the 99th most indebted School District in the State of Texas with over $295 million in total Tax Supported Debt due. This means DSISD has more total tax supported debt than 90% of School Districts statewide!
Dripping Springs ISD's total Tax Supported Debt of $295,481,126 ranks DSISD 99 out of 1,024 Texas School Districts, in the top 10% (9.7% exact), for total Tax Supported Debt outstanding. ³
According to the Texas Comptroller, Dripping Springs ISD has the 66th highest Tax Supported Debt per Student in the State of Texas with over $52,000 in Tax Supported Debt per Student due. This means DSISD has more total tax supported debt per student than 93% of School Districts statewide!
Dripping Springs ISD's total Tax Supported Debt per Student of $52,586 ranks DSISD 66 out of 1,024 Texas School Districts, in the top 7% (6.4% exact), for total Tax Supported Debt per Student outstanding. ³
But if the $132 million Dripping Springs ISD's May 2018 Proposition A Bond passes, our District's debt problem will get even worse!
Dripping Springs ISD's May 2018 Bond will increase Dripping Springs ISD's total Tax Supported Debt by 45%, adding $132 million to DSISD's current total Tax Supported Debt balance of $295 million.
Dripping Springs ISD's current total Tax Supported Debt is $295,481,126. DSISD May 2018 Proposition A Bond amount of $132,000,000 is 45% of $295,481.126. ¹
With a new total Tax Supported Debt balance of over $427 million, Dripping Springs ISD will have the 71st highest total Tax Supported Debt in the State of Texas. This means DSISD will have more total tax supported debt than 93% of School Districts statewide!
According to Texas Comptroller ISD-DebtLatest spreadsheet (all other districts remaining unchanged), adding $132 million to Dripping Springs ISD's current total Tax Supported Debt would result in a new total of $427,481,126 Tax Supported Debt outstanding. This $427 million Tax Supported Debt total would rank DSISD 71 out of 1,024 Texas School Districts, in the top 7% (6.9% exact), for total Tax Supported Debt outstanding.³
With a new total Tax Supported Debt balance of over $427 million, Dripping Springs ISD will have the 18th highest Tax Supported Debt per Student in the State of Texas with over $76,000 in Tax Supported Debt per Student due. This means DSISD will have more total tax supported debt per student than 98% of School Districts statewide!
According to Texas Comptroller ISD-DebtLatest spreadsheet (all other districts remaining unchanged), adding $132 million to Dripping Springs ISD's current total Tax Supported Debt would result in a new Tax Supported Debt per Student total of $76,078. This $427 million Tax Supported Debt total would rank DSISD 18 out of 1,024 Texas School Districts, in the top 2% (1.8% exact), for total Tax Supported Debt per Student outstanding.³
And in just three short years, in May 2021, DSISD will be requesting a $400 million bond—that's over three times the cost of this May's $132 million bond, an amount that our District already cannot afford!
"After four months of research, a recommendation of a bond totaling $132 million was proposed to the Dripping Springs ISD board of trustees to consider for a possible May bond election.
[...]
Eventually a larger bond package, in the ballpark of $400 million, will be needed in May 2021 in order to address the growth at Dripping Springs High, according to Superintendent Bruce Gearing." (emphasis added)

-Hays Free Press/News Dispatch: January 31, 2018
Reference
1. https://comptroller.texas.gov/transparency/local/debt/isd.php?isdname=Dripping%20Springs%20ISD&isdsubmit=GO\
2. https://www.dsisdtx.us/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=1330&dataid=2984&FileName=Official%20Budget%202017-18.pdf
3. https://comptroller.texas.gov/transparency/local/debt/docs/isd-debtlatest.xlsx
4. https://haysfreepress.com/2018/01/31/132m-may-bond-tabbed-for-dsisd/

DSISD's Dangerous Debt Quick Facts

This Bond is Financially Irresponsible—DSISD's Debt is Out of Control!

Per-Student Tax-Supported Debt Increased 191.3%

19% of DSISD's Current Budget Goes to Debt Service

DSISD has More Total Tax-Supported Debt than 90% of School Districts in the Entire State of Texas!

DSISD has More per-Student Tax-Supported Debt than 93% of School Districts Throughout Texas!

Should the $132 million Bond, Prop A, Pass: DSISD Will Have More Total Tax-Supported Debt than 93% of School Districts in the Entire State of Texas!

Should the $132 million Bond, Prop A, Pass: DSISD will have More per-Student Tax-Supported Debt than 98% of School Districts throughout Texas!

And DSISD is planning an even more expensive, $400 million, bond package for May 2021!

More on DSISD's Dangerous Debt

According to the Texas Comptroller: over the past 10 years, Dripping Springs ISD's Tax Supported Debt per Student has increased at nearly FOUR (4) times the rate of DSISD's Student Enrollment.

**19% of Dripping Springs ISD's 2017-2018 Official Budget goes towards paying Debt Service. Over $16 million of our community's hard earned tax dollars already go to paying DSISD's Debt each year!**

This year, DSISD is spending over $7.7 million of our community's hard-earned tax dollars on just their Debt Interest. Debt Interest payments total 48% of DSISD's Debt Service payments this year!

According to the Texas Comptroller, Dripping Springs ISD is the 99th most indebted School District in the State of Texas with over $295 million in total Tax Supported Debt due. This means DSISD has more total tax supported debt than 90% of School Districts statewide!

According to the Texas Comptroller, Dripping Springs ISD has the 66th highest Tax Supported Debt per Student in the State of Texas with over $52,000 in Tax Supported Debt per Student due. This means DSISD has more total tax supported debt per student than 93% of School Districts statewide!

But if the $132 million Dripping Springs ISD's May 2018 Proposition A Bond passes, our District's debt problem will get even worse!

Dripping Springs ISD's May 2018 Bond will increase Dripping Springs ISD's total Tax Supported Debt by 45%, adding $132 million to DSISD's current total Tax Supported Debt balance of $295 million.

With a new total Tax Supported Debt balance of over $427 million, Dripping Springs ISD will have the 71st highest total Tax Supported Debt in the State of Texas. This means DSISD will have more total tax supported debt than 93% of School Districts statewide!

And in just three short years, in May 2021, DSISD will be requesting a $400 million bond—that's over three times the cost of this May's $132 million bond, an amount that our District already cannot afford!

Reference