holding an effective bond election
DESCRIPTION
This session walks participants through steps that will assist their district in holding an effective bond election. How do you identify the needs and resulting projects of your district? Does your district understand the current local political landscape? What is the financial impact of the election to your district? How does your district create a strategic election campaign? Participants receive information on these important questions and other strategies to use when holding a bond election.TRANSCRIPT
Holding an Effective
Bond Election
Holding an Effective Bond Election
The charts below detail the relationship between May and November pass/fail election results since 2006:
75%
25%
May Bond Election Results (by # of Elections)
Passed Failed
72%
28%
November Bond Election Results (by # of Elections)
Passed Failed
Holding an Effective Bond Election 2
The charts below detail the relationship between May and November election amount ($) results since 2006:
85%
15%
November Bond Election Results (by Par Amount)
Passed Failed
82%
18%
May Bond Election Results (by Par Amount)
Passed Failed
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November 2010 Results
• 41 elections• 70% passed
When do you consider holding a bond election?
Do we have a need?
Needs Assessment
Board creates needs commit-tee
Needs committee makes recommendations
Board reviews needs commit-tee recommendations and di-
rects staffBoard considers approval of
bond election
Financial Impact Study
Board approves bond election
Bond election strategy im-plemented
Bond election
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Months
Holding an Effective Bond Election 4
Important steps of calling a bond election:
• Indentifying district needs and projects.
• Identifying the financial impact.• Understanding the district’s responsibility
• Creating a strategic election campaign.
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Indentifying district needs and projects:
• Identifying the needs of the district is critical to a bond election’s success.
• Projects that are too simplistic might not breed confidence for a well thought out plan.
• Specialized projects can sometimes create animosity or generate a positive, motivated electorate.
• Are improvements to meet needs spread throughout your district?
• Projects that are too costly and overreaching can cause mistrust.
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• Who assesses your district’s needs?
– Staff
– Architect
– Specialized consultant
– Community committee
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• What are the assessment criteria?– School Site– Structural and Mechanical– Maintainability– School Safety and Security
• Site Safety• Building Safety• Emergency Safety
– Educational Adequacy• Academic Learning Space• Specialized Learning Space• Support Space
– Environment for Education– Specialized district needs/wants
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• Well researched cost estimates– It is important to have a qualified construction
team to assist.– Is there room for cost overruns?– Are you anticipating future competitive factors
from neighboring projects?– Will you have someone looking out for your
district’s best interests on proposed projects when the bond election is successful?
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Identifying the financial impact:
• Bond elections typically mean tax increases, so accurate projections and achievable plans are critical for developing trust for the bond election.
• State formulas for Texas school district finance are some of the most complex state funding programs in the nation.
• Having a competent financial team is critical for achieving your District’s goals and communicating effectively with your voters.
What are the costs?
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• Accurate tax impact projections
– What are the chief variables that will impact the tax rate?
– Where do other Districts sometimes get tripped up?
– Are there innovative or cost saving financing options?
– How do I know I have the right team?
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Market conditions and their effects on tax rates• An ISDs tax rate is based on several factors,
with the two most prominent factors being:– Assessed Valuation (“AV”) within the district– Borrowing amounts and costs
• The table below details the general effect on a district’s tax rate based on various circumstances
Effect on Tax Rate
Interest Rates Higher Interest Rates Lower AV Increases AV Decreases
Up Down Down Up
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• For example, assuming that a district recently issued $50 million of bonds with level debt service over 30 years, the District’s tax rate could be expected to increase by approximately $0.33 per $100 (at current market rates) of Assessed Valuation.1
• Depending on certain assumptions (see below), the table below details the effect on the tax rate:
Tax Rate Changes - Assuming $50 MM Bond Issue1
Rates Higher by 2% Rates Lower by 2% Assessed ValueIncreases 10%
Assessed ValueDecreases 10%
$0.40 $0.26 $0.30 $0.36
1 Assumes total assessed valuation of $1 billion.
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Texas ISD bond election results vs macroeconomic market conditions:
• During the recession of the past couple years, ISDs have seen the success rate of bond elections decline from a high of 85% in May 2007 to 60% in May 2010
• The number of elections has also decreased from a high in 2007 of 168 separate bond elections to only 81 elections in 2009
• The following chart details the success rate for Texas ISDs since 2006 as compared with the unemployment rate and GDP growth rate
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-
1,000,000,000
2,000,000,000
3,000,000,000
4,000,000,000
5,000,000,000
6,000,000,000
7,000,000,000
8,000,000,000
9,000,000,000
1-May-06 1-Nov-06 1-May-07 1-Nov-07 1-May-08 1-Nov-08 1-May-09 1-Nov-09 1-May-10
Tota
l Bon
d El
ecti
on P
ar A
mou
nt
Historical Bond Election Results
Passed Failed
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Communicating with Voters
Ballot Language
How do you describe the projects?
Broad Language• “THE ISSUANCE OF $10,000,000 OF
SCHOOL BONDS . . . AND LEVYING THE TAX IN PAYMENT OF SUCH BONDS”
How do you describe the projects?
Specific Language• “FOR A PROFESSIONAL AND
TECHNICAL CAREER HIGH SCHOOL”• “TO RENOVATE, IMPROVE AND EQUIP
TWELVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BUILDINGS AND TWO MIDDLE SCHOOL BUILDINGS”
Communicating with Voters
Political Advertising
Texas Election Code § 255.003Unlawful Use of Public Funds for Political Advertising
a) An officer or employee of a political subdivision may not knowingly spend or authorize the spending of public funds for political advertising.
b) Subsection (a) does not apply to a communication that factually describes the purposes of a measure if the communication does not advocate passage or defeat of the measure.
c) A person who violates Subsection (a) commits an offense. An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor.
“Political Advertising”
A communication that supports or opposes a measure and that:
(A) in return for consideration, is published in a newspaper, magazine, or other periodical or is broadcast by radio or television; or
(B) appears in a pamphlet, circular, flier, sign, internet website or similar form of written communication.
Educate (Objectively Verifiable Facts Only)• Student capacity• Growth rates• Age/condition of facilities• Projects to be funded with bonds• Cost of projects• Tax rate effect• Voting dates and polling places
Clear “Advocacy”
A communication that “contains a clear request for the reader to support” the measure
• Vote for . . .• Support . . .• Defeat . . .• Reject . . .
“Cross[ing] the line from a communication that is factual to a communication that advocates passage of the bonds”• “Show that you care about
education”• “[C]itizens now have the
opportunity to position the [District] for the 21st century”
• “Good schools are the foundation of a good community”
• “Put children first”• Issuing bonds is the “best
solution”
On the Border
• Studies showing how bond passage or failure will affect education mission
• Citizen committee recommendations
• Art/essay contests• Voter registration drives
Common Sense Approach
• Know Your Community• Educate, Don’t Advocate• Don’t Stir People Up!• Don’t Try This Without Bond
Counsel!
Creating a strategic election campaign:
• Implementing an effective bond election takes a lot of hard work and dedication to a well-thought out comprehensive plan.
• Success comes from understanding the obstacles and clearly communicating your needs to your voters and getting educated voters to the polls.
How are you going to succeed?
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• Clearly Identifiable Goals
– Are there several objectives or just one?
– Is everyone aware of the rules?
– Does each team member know their role?
– Who will be the quarterback?
– How will information be communicated?
Strategic campaign
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• Professional Consultants
• Administrative Staff
• Community Leaders
Strategic campaign
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Understanding the political landscape:
• Identifying your voters and understanding their perspective is critical to producing a positive election result.
• There are a host of factors that can impact the minds of your voters and how they will perceive your communication and the needs of the district.
• Interviews/Surveys
Who are your voters?
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Effective elections have common factors:
• Clearly identifying the needs.
• Trust of the community.
• Unified board member support.
• Good dynamic communication.
• Community leaders and grass roots support.
• Panel of experts helping with the election.
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What happens if you already called an election and it failed?
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The bond election failed…Now What?
• Your district has been working feverishly for the last six months in preparation for the bond election and the bond fails.
• It is understandable that you are frustrated. However, the needs still exist.
• Understanding why a bond election failed can be critical and integral to the success of future bond elections.
Dealing with emotions and the fact that the needs remain
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• Internal factors.
• External factors.
• Communication vehicles used (print, verbal, and media).
• Organized opposition.
Factors leading to bond failure:
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Understanding the internal factors:The perception “inside”
• Compile an internal sample of opinions from district staff and board members.
• Interviews and/or surveys will provide insight of the election results through district eyes.
• Data will be compiled to understand if the district’s internal perception of the loss aligns with those of the voters.
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Understanding the external factors:The perception “outside”• Conduct interviews and/or surveys with a
good cross-section of local residents to understand their perception of why the bond election failed.
• Interviews and data will be compared against the “inside” opinions and data to identify any variances between the “outside” and the “inside” perceptions.
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Evaluating the communication:print and media spots
• Review media used for promotional and informative purposes during failed bond election…clarity, accuracy, and strategic input
• Example information reviewed:– Election ballot– Informative brochure(s)– Information produced by any PAC’s (political
action committees)– Any internet or other media presentations
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Evaluating organized opposition:understanding bond opponents
• Review articles, editorials, and print ads that the opposition disseminated.
• Determine accuracy and impact on the election results.
• Meet with opponents and discuss ways to work together in the future.
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School Bond Case Study(by Holt, Wendt, and Smith – 2006)
• 2 failed bonds in late 1990s became 2 bonds passing in 2002 and 2003
• Data collected after bonds failed
• “Why did bonds fail?” theme:– No trust in divided board– Poor leadership– No answers to questions– Lack of Trust
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School Bond Case Study
• Data collected after bonds passed
• “Keys to bonds passing” theme:– Board and administration established diverse citizen task
force– Disseminated info that focused on kids and community– Unanimous support of board– Keeping school design simple– Spending time getting “yes” voters out, not trying to
change “no” voters’ minds
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Questions?• Rudy Segura, McCall, Parkhurst & Horton L.L.P.
(512) 590-1950 [email protected]• Jeff Clemmons, TASB:
(800) 580-8272 extension [email protected]
• Trent Toon, First Public, Sub of TASB (800)558-8875 [email protected]• Kara Winebright, First Public, Sub of TASB
(800)558-8875 [email protected]