Welcome Back Celina ISD Faculty, Parents, and Students!
As we begin to set our sights towards graduation, we must first unfold the pages to begin this next chapter. It is a time of new beginnings filled with opportunities to grow and embrace the changes that await not only our district, but our community as well.
During the 2017-2018 school year, we began to identify those that serve not only our community, but our district in many different capacities. Forty-five of these individuals agreed to serve on the Celina ISD Financial Integrity/Bond Steering Committee. These “stakeholders” are comprised of city officials, organizational leaders, board members, clergy, teachers, parents, students, business/community members, campus and district leaders. Committee members were charged to serve in an advisory capacity to help the Celina Board of Trustees assess and prioritize capital improvement projects with the possibility of calling for a future bond election.
Over the past nine months, committee members have reviewed data from multiple sources to include; Templeton Demographics, Claycomb Associates, current/projected enrollment figures, 10-year facilities plan, district financials, bond history and market analysis. Using the data collected, the committee members prioritized capital improvement projects that would fulfill the needs of our students, faculty, and programs into the foreseeable future. The committee finalized their recommendation for the board on December 12th, which included a chronological list of projects for future completion over the next 10 years, with a total cost of $600 million. The recommendation was presented and approved by the Celina Board of Trustees during the December 17th meeting.
The next step in the process is to call for a bond election, which will be on the agenda for the January 21, 2019 board meeting. Once approved, the bond will be added to the ballot for the May 4th election. The bond election gives individuals an opportunity to vote on paying for the construction and renovation of school facilities. Bond monies can be used for land acquisition, equipment, technology, construction and renovation of facilities, but cannot be used for personnel or salaries. Several area districts have called for bonds and many of those have had a tax increase as part of the bond package. This is a Zero Tax Impact Bond , which means that we as a district, will NOT be asking for a tax increase from our constituents in order to pass the bond.
Our district prides itself on its transparency with our constituents. Our goal is for all stakeholders to be provided with factual information concerning school bonds. If questions arise or clarification is needed regarding the bond information, please do not hesitate to reach out to our administration office or any of the individuals that served on the bond committee. We have added bond information to our district website that will be updated frequently as new information is received. For further information, go to www.celinaisd.com . Click on the “District” tab, scroll and click on “Bond.” The page will give you information in regards to the committee, agendas from all committee meetings and a short, informational video about school bonds. It is an exciting time to be a Bobcat and we are blessed to be surrounded and supported by not only those we serve, but those that make our district great! GO BOBCATS!
Rick DeMasters,
Superintendent of Schools
Celina ISD
CELINA Life & Luxury Magazine 