BELTON, Texas (KXXV) — Belton ISD's board of trustees unanimously approved the sale of $6 million in bonds to fund new technology devices for students and staff, while also authorizing the refinancing of two previously issued bond series projected to save taxpayers more than $760,000.
The board took both actions during its regular meeting on February 23rd.
The $6 million bond package stems from a Technology Proposition approved by voters in November 2025. The bonds will be repaid over five years, with annual payments projected at about $1.3 million per year from 2027 through 2031. The shorter repayment timeline is designed to minimize long-term impact on the district's future bond capacity.
"We are grateful that our community recognizes and understands the critical role that access to technology plays in education," Superintendent Dr. Malinda Golden said. "Technology is evolving at such a rapid rate, and this bond allows us to keep pace with innovation while ensuring our students and staff have the tools they need to succeed."
Under the district's device replacement schedule, high school student devices will begin replacement in 2027, middle school devices in 2028 and elementary school devices in 2029. Staff devices, many of which are nearing the end of their life cycle, will begin replacement starting next school year.
Trustees also authorized the refunding of the Unlimited Tax Refunding Bonds, Series 2015 and Series 2016, which are now eligible for refinancing at lower interest rates. When a district refunds bonds, it issues new debt at a lower rate to pay off older, higher-interest debt. This reduces the amount of tax revenue needed to satisfy those obligations and can either lower the Interest and Sinking portion of the tax rate or allow the district to retire debt sooner than originally planned.
Over the past decade, Belton ISD has executed five bond refundings, resulting in total taxpayer savings of $14,978,871.
"In the last ten years, Belton ISD has successfully executed five bond refundings, saving district taxpayers nearly $15 million," Board President Manuel Alcozer said. "This reflects our ongoing commitment to being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. Our community's investment in Belton ISD is critical to the district's overall success."
