Prosper ISD board approves petition to annex part of Windsong Ranch from Denton ISD

Prosper ISD trustees on Dec. 15 adopted a resolution approving a petition to detach a portion of the Windsong Ranch community from Denton Independent School District and annex that territory into Prosper ISD.

The resolution passed by a 5–0 vote with two trustees abstaining after a public hearing that featured residents and homeowners arguing the change would align tax boundaries with current school attendance and provide new local revenue. Trustee Linker moved to adopt the resolution; Trustee Cavender seconded.

Petitioners, led by resident Doug Charles, told the board they already attend Prosper ISD under a contractual arrangement and sought “permanency” to avoid future contract vulnerability. Charles said the affected area includes about 466 lots and roughly 274–300 students and offered district-level estimates that the added assessed value is about $533,000,000, which he said could generate roughly $3.7 million in net annual cash flow in early years and would require the receiving district to assume an estimated $31.7 million portion of Denton ISD debt. “We want permanency,” Charles said, urging trustees to approve the petition and send it to the Texas Education Agency for final consideration.

Administration described its statutory, neutral role at the hearing and provided the board’s required analysis under Texas Education Code §13.051. District staff reiterated that students in the affected territory are presently permitted to attend Prosper ISD and receive transportation regardless of boundaries, and outlined uncertainties that affect fiscal estimates, including unassessed lots still under construction and the mechanics of debt allocation by county commissioners’ courts. The administration’s presentation included an illustration that, in a year‑one model, added maintenance-and-operations revenue and interest-and-sinking receipts would not fully offset the estimated debt allocation immediately, and that the district’s breakeven horizon could span a decade or more depending on amortization choices.

Several Windsong Ranch residents who testified said they purchased homes believing they were in Prosper ISD and that their lack of voting rights and tax alignment with the district should be corrected. Resident Heather Raton told trustees the annexation would ‘‘align tax boundaries with attendance boundaries’’ and provide long-term revenue stability. Trustee questions focused on the size of the homeowner tax change (petitioners and administration used different framings — one described an average annual homeowner increase near $100, another described a total ISD tax bill figure), timing and options available for refinancing or amortizing the debt transfer, and how Prosper Education Foundation (PEF) payments might be affected.

The board’s resolution records findings that the educational interests of affected students would be positive (they would have a permanent right to attend Prosper ISD) and that the economic effect to Prosper ISD would be positive due to increased tax revenue, while the board noted some uncertainties in the calculations. Under the statutory process, the board’s adopted resolution will be forwarded to the Texas Education Agency for commissioner review; if the commissioner approves, Denton ISD may challenge the action in court within the time limits set by statute. Petitioners and administration both described the postapproval timeline differently in discussion: petitioners said the commissioner's ruling would be followed by a possible short window for challenge and an effective date of the next July 1 if approved.

Trustees and staff emphasized this was a difficult, finance-driven decision and that projections rely on many variables, including future state school‑funding changes. The board recessed into closed session earlier in the meeting under Texas Government Code chapter 551 and returned to open session before voting on the petition resolution. The petition now proceeds to the Texas Education Agency for final review.