Trustees learn where WISD ranks

It’s said that comparison can be the thief of joy, but in the case of Weatherford ISD at Monday’s (Oct. 23) board meeting, it certainly stole the show. 

During a report on the outstanding bond debt, Jeff Robert from Hilltop Securities showed trustees where the district fit among 103 other Texas districts with at least one 6A school in it. Most data was compiled as of the end of the 2022-2023 school year. 

Using several different markers including outstanding bond principal, net taxable value, interest and sinking (I&S) tax rate, among others, Robert told board members where WISD ranked in the various categories and overall. 

“From a numbers-driven only perspective, WISD is 93rd out of 103,” he said, adding that Weatherford’s approximate $91 million outstanding bond principal put them in that position. 

Not surprisingly, the top district when it comes to outstanding bond principal is Dallas ISD, one of the largest school districts in the state. Its total is $3.795 billion, not including authorized but unissued monies increasing the total to $6.359 billion. 

Weatherford has no unissued bonds. 

For perspective, the district with the lowest amount in all categories is Copperas Cove ISD with $3.5 million. Robert explained it was because that district was able to take advantage of some federal funding for both COVID and the proximity to Fort Hood. 

In net taxable value, Weatherford is 82nd with $6.5 billion, equaling about 1.38 percent of bond principal per net taxable value. Houston ISD is first at $222.5 billion. 

“Weatherford ISD is not a high-debt district as compared to other 6A districts in the state,” Robert summarized at the end of his presentation. 

Board president Mike Guest said the news was “exactly what I wanted to hear.”

“[WISD] is doing famously and this [information] proves that we are,” he said. “This is a testament to all the hard work the staff and we as a board have been doing to show we are good stewards of taxpayer’s money.”

Construction update

Trustees also received a construction update on the new automotive facility, the Grizzard Regional Institute of Technology Academy, affectionately known as GRIT. The project is currently on schedule and within budget and should be open in March 2024. 

Superintendent Beau Rees asked whether the board would be able to tour the facility now that iT has “gone vertical” and the request received universal excitement and will be scheduled for early December. 

Other items

In other items, trustees:

• Received a program update on the 2022-2023 bilingual/ESL program from Aleni Seibold, the WISD bilingual/ESL elementary coordinator, who explained some of the highlights and challenges faced. The program has grown to 848 students overall, with Spanish being the most spoken language needing the resources available with 82 percent enrolled. Vietnamese is second and Arabic is third. 
• Approved allocation of funds for HVAC Replacement at Wright Elementary and repair and pre-placement of audio and visual equipment that was damaged during a recent storm at the District Services Building. 

The WISD Board of Trustees meets again on Nov. 13.