School districts are required by state law to ask voters for permission to sell bonds to investors in order to raise the capital dollars required to renovate existing buildings or build a new school. Essentially, it’s permission to take out a loan to build, renovate and pay that loan back over an extended period of time, much like a family takes out a mortgage loan for their home. A school board calls a bond election so voters can decide whether or not they want to pay for proposed facility projects.

Recent research by the Environmental Protection Agency suggests that a school’s physical environment can play a major role in academic performance. Leaky roofs and problems with heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems can trigger a host of health problems – including asthma and allergies – that increase absenteeism and reduce academic performance. Research links key environmental factors to health outcomes and students’ ability to perform.

Working with the Board of Trustees, teachers, and administrators from across the district, the facilities planning committee developed a list of items to consider for inclusion in a bond package. The District has been evaluating current facilities and equipment, ongoing enrollment, growth, and other district priorities with the Board of Trustees.

Under state law, bond funds must be used for items listed on the election ballot. In addition, if the bond passes, the district will invite community members to join a Bond Oversight Committee. This committee will meet regularly to oversee the construction of the bond projects.

The school district itself does not set property values. Property values are determined by the Freestone County Appraisal District, an independent government agency responsible for estimating the market value of properties in the county each year. 

The Appraisal District looks at things like: 

1. Recent sales of similar homes in your area 

2. Market trends (supply and demand) 

3. Improvements or changes made to your property 

4. Overall neighborhood growth and development 

In short: The school district doesn’t control your home’s value—the real estate market and the county appraisal process do. Find out more information here.

No, bond funds cannot be used for teacher salaries.

The ballot will feature two propositions, each of which will be voted on separately. Voters will have the opportunity to vote for or against each proposition. By law, certain projects cannot be included in the general bond proposition and must be presented to voters as a separate proposition. Texas Education Code §45.003 requires a stadium with a seating capacity of more than 1,000 spectators to be submitted as a separate proposition on the ballot. Because the proposed Teague ISD stadium meets this requirement, the stadium portion of the bond must be presented separately from the other proposed projects.

Source: https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/?tab=1&code=ED&chapter=ED.45&artSec=45.003

If the bond passes, the district will solicit competitive bids for the approved projects. Local contractors may participate in the bidding process. The Board of Trustees will review bid recommendations and vote on the selected contractor(s) for each project.

With the addition of solar farms being constructed in Teague ISD, the district's tax base is expected to grow. Shortly after construction, the appraised value of a solar project is typically highest because the equipment is still near the beginning of its useful life. Texas property tax laws, however, include a statutory depreciation scheme for these projects that assumes a 10-year useful life and permits total depreciation of as much as 80% through that period. The initially higher appraised value supports the district’s bonding capacity. The district can pledge debt service tax revenues from that larger tax base to service larger amounts of bond debt. Once the solar equipment ages and its appraised value declines, the district's tax base also declines. The same tax rate applied to a smaller assessed value generates less revenue, which means the district can support less bond debt. In order to utilize the bonding capacity from these facilities to the greatest extent, the district is proposing to structure its bond issues to align with the expected depreciation of these facilities.