Proposition C
Prop C asks voters to approve $62,000,000 in bonds for instructional technology equipment.
Jump to why this site recommends NO
Exact ballot language
As it will appear on the ballot, from the district's election order:
PROPOSITION C
THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE“The issuance of $62,000,000 of bonds by the McKinney Independent School District for instructional technology equipment and the levying of a tax sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds.”
Full text of the proposition as written in the order
“Shall the Board of Trustees of the McKinney Independent School District be authorized to issue and sell bonds of the District in the principal amount of $62,000,000 for the purposes of acquiring, improving and updating instructional technology equipment, with the bonds to mature, bear interest and be issued and sold in accordance with law at the time of issuance as may be determined within the discretion of the Board of Trustees; and shall the Board of Trustees of the District be authorized to levy and pledge, and cause to be assessed and collected, annual ad valorem taxes on all taxable property in the District sufficient, without limit as to rate or amount, to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds?”
What Prop C funds
The ballot language covers instructional technology equipment. The district's mailer describes the money as paying for network equipment and for replacing worn-out student devices on a regular schedule.
The numbers
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Principal | $62,000,000 |
| Estimated interest (at 5%) | $16,522,056 |
| Estimated total cost | $78,522,056 |
For comparison, the district's existing bonds have $338,220,000 in principal and an estimated $89,536,726 in interest outstanding.
The district's stated assumptions
- An estimated interest rate of 5%.
- Taxable values in the district growing 2.75% in 2027 and 2.50% a year for 2028–2032, with no growth after that.
- The district's voter information document estimates a maximum annual tax increase of $0 on a homestead with a $100,000 taxable appraised value (net of the $140,000 homestead exemption). That figure depends on the growth assumptions above. It is an estimate, not a promise, and the ballot itself says "THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE."
- The election order estimates a 20-year amortization from each issue date. In the order's text, that estimate is stated for the bond program as a whole, not for Proposition C specifically. The voter information document for Proposition C does label its total as assuming 20 years, but its interest estimate does not match a 20-year term at 5%, as explained below.
The election order describes the 5% rate and the 20-year period as estimates provided for statutory compliance, and states plainly that they "do not serve as a cap" on either the interest rate or the repayment period. The bonds are repaid from taxes levied without limit as to rate or amount. The order leaves the actual maturity schedule and interest rate to the Board's discretion at the time the bonds are issued.
Paying for equipment with long-term debt
The district says Proposition C covers student devices that wear out and need replacing on a predictable cycle, and that the money would put device replacement on a regular schedule.
How long the district would take to repay these bonds is not settled. The election order estimates 20 years across the bond program, and the voter information document uses the same 20-year label for Proposition C's total. But the district's own estimate of $16,522,056 in interest on $62,000,000 of principal implies a shorter period than that at the 5% rate the order assumes. The Board sets the actual term when the bonds are issued.
This is not the first technology bond money. The district's 2021 bond program report shows a technology refresh project budgeted at $60,402,080, of which $57,029,869 had been spent as of August 2026. Proposition C would add $62,000,000 to that.
No district document, and no district web page as it read on October 5, 2026, gives a replacement period in years for the devices, so this page makes no claim about how long they last.
Why this site recommends NO (opinion)
- The 2021 bond program already budgeted $60,402,080 for technology, nearly all of it spent. Proposition C asks for $62,000,000 more, one bond cycle later.
- By the district's own description, these devices need replacing on a predictable cycle. This site's view is that a recurring, predictable cost belongs in the operating budget rather than in long-term debt.
- The district's own estimate puts the cost with interest at $78,522,056 — $16,522,056 more than the equipment itself.
Sources for this page: bond election order, 2021 bond program report, the district's bond page, and the district's printed mailer.
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