District 11 details $750M bond framework, community polling and allocation model
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Summary
District staff previewed a proposed $750 million bond with layered tranches, a regionalized allocation model (50% facility condition index, 50% utilization), and a community engagement plan backed by a scientific poll; staff said next steps include finalizing project lists and presenting survey results to the board.
District 11 staff and outside consultants told the board the district is compiling a bond project list and testing public messaging ahead of any decision to place an estimated $750 million bond measure on the ballot.
"Most of our schools will have identified their projects by this week," said the district presenter (Doctor Brandy Comfort), describing an online dashboard that lets the public visualize classroom modernizations. Staff said the district is combining facility-condition metrics and utilization data into a normalized allocation formula so every region receives tiered school-directed funds.
Carter James, a partner at Fox Signal Strategies, described an ongoing scientifically designed community survey that tests supportive and opposition messages, measures reactions to project bundles, and will inform how the district explains complex items (such as HVAC vs. classroom modernization) to voters. "The data is coming," said James, who said the 13-minute survey asks both opposition and supporter arguments and that the team will use the results to shape an outreach plan.
Staff outlined a tranche concept for phasing a large bond: an initial tranche of roughly $300 million, followed by $250 million and $200 million tranches, with district-directed projects (air conditioning, roofs, ADA work and paying off COP obligations) estimated at about $156 million.
Board directors focused questions on equity of allocations between districts and regions, the timeline for bringing a finalized project list back to the board, and the mechanics of meeting federal arbitrage spending rules if the district sells multiple tranches. Staff committed to bringing survey results and compiled school project lists back to the board and to continuing community meetings and feasibility analyses.
What’s next: staff will finalize project lists, publish survey results to the board and community, and return in the weeks ahead with a recommended action schedule and any required resolutions to forward ballot language to the county clerk.