Voters in Fredericksburg Independent School District will soon be asked to decide whether to fund the construction of a new high school and upgrades to several of their campuses with a taxpayer-backed bond.
According to documents published by the district, taxpayers would pay nearly $179 million in interest alone on the proposed $160 million bond.
At the estimated five-percent interest rate, the total cost of the bond would be nearly $339 million—double what voters will see on the ballot.
Appearing on the ballot as Proposition A, Fredericksburg ISD’s proposed bond would fund construction of a new high school on district-owned land, campus safety upgrades, HVAC replacement and improvement, vehicle additions, a partial roof replacement, and a school track and field facility addition.
The proposition will feature the following ballot language as required by state law: “THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE.”
School district officials argue that the district can repay the bond without raising the current tax rate because of past “careful fiscal management.”
However, regardless of the tax rate in any given year, local property owners’ tax burden would increase by the amount of the bond with interest.
The district currently has $127,549,753 in outstanding debt.
In an op-ed, incoming Gillespie County Republican Chair Kyle Biedermann wrote that the proposed bond should be viewed with caution.
“Even if the district says the current debt-service tax rate can support the borrowing without an immediate rate increase, that does not change the basic reality: bond debt still has to be repaid with property-tax revenue over many years,” wrote Biedermann. “And with property values increasing so will property taxes.”
“What seems manageable today can become more expensive later if financial conditions change.”
Biedermann told Texas Scorecard that, “FISD’s current debt per average daily attendance is close to the state average. This new bond issue will triple it to over $85,000. This is what they call good financial stewardship.”
Fredericksburg voters will have the opportunity to either approve or reject the proposition on the May 2, 2026 ballot. Early voting begins April 20 and runs through April 28.
