"According to the Texas State Comptroller's Office, Katy ISD's outstanding bonded debt is $1.235 billion, which when viewed on a debt-per-student basis is $19,172, an 18.4 percent decrease from August 2004, when it was $23,506. The District's current debt is related to capital projects dating back to the 1994 bond authorization."  Source: Katy ISD Dash Board  http://www.katyisd.org/sites/bonds/Pages/Facts-About-Bonds.aspx

Never mind that the debt is less than it was in 2004.  It was too high then, too!  In 2004, Superintendent Leonard Merrell was passing one bond after another to build schools that weren't even needed.  He would spend the money on other things, and then come back and ask for more bond money for the same school buildings he had already asked for in previous bonds!

I'm told that the 2014 bond while priced at $748,000,000 will cost over one billion dollars when it's financed and the costs added in.  Even Paul Bettencourt has said that.  So Katy ISD then becomes 2.2 billion dollars in debt.

Yes, your taxes may not go up because of the bond, but the Appraisal Districts have come to the District's aid by increasing your property values by 17%.  KISD is going to get a whole boat load of money next year, so they don't need to "raise your taxes."  The Appraisal Districts have raised them instead.

The point that seems to get lost in this shuffle is that your taxes in this school district will never go down, either!  And taxes are running some people out of their homes.  That's not right.