Frisco ISD bond committee starts work on a smaller, needs-focused 2027 proposal

Frisco ISD is starting its next bond discussion with a shorter list of needs, rather than asking every department for a five-year wish list.

At the Bond Planning Committee’s first meeting on Oct. 20, Superintendent Todd Fouche said the district had narrowed its approach after voters rejected the 2024 package. Transportation, maintenance and operations will be among the areas members hear from, according to the district’s Oct. 21 account.

The 98-member committee will spend about six weeks examining facilities and priorities for a possible 2027 bond. Its work is a planning process, not an approved bond package.

The district says enrollment has fallen from slightly more than 67,000 in March 2023 to nearly 62,000. That makes the cost of maintaining existing campuses a central part of the discussion.

District leaders told members that campus consolidation belongs to broader sustainability planning and that future decisions would consider more than enrollment alone. The update did not announce any school closures. Frisco ISD is also trying to attract students through Access Frisco and expanded prekindergarten.

Deputy Superintendent Kimberly Smith reviewed borrowing costs, saying the district has saved more than $152 million in future interest through refinancing. Frisco ISD reports having the eighth-lowest debt-service tax rate among 39 districts in Collin and Denton counties.

Residents can follow regular updates about facilities, finances and potential priorities on the district’s Bond Planning webpage: https://www.friscoisd.org/page/2027-bond-planning

A separate board sustainability workshop is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 26, from 5 to 7 p.m. CDT at the Frisco ISD Administration Building, 5515 Ohio Drive in Frisco, Texas.

Source: Frisco ISD’s Oct. 21 report on the committee’s opening meeting: https://www.friscoisd.org/o/fisd/article/3206589

Stonebriar Centre restaurant and sky-bridge plan comes back to planners, this time with staff backing it

The Bridges at Stonebriar Mall, pulled from the Oct. 12 agenda after staff urged denial, is on the Planning & Zoning Commission's Oct. 27 consent list with a recommendation to approve it as submitted.

Priya NairOctober 21, 20262 min read

FC Dallas, Toyota Extend Naming Rights Agreement for Stadium

FC Dallas and Toyota have announced a multi-year renewal of the naming rights agreement for Toyota Stadium in Frisco, coinciding with an ongoing $182 million modernization project.

Camille RourkeOctober 21, 20262 min read

Council unanimously backs Toyota Stadium hotel and convention center deal, clearing the way to chase state grants

Tuesday's 380 agreement with the Hunt family sends half the hotel tax from the stadium project back to it for 10 years, capped at $5 million, and halves construction development fees.

Marcus DelgadoOctober 21, 20262 min read

Dallas Fed cuts its Texas job growth forecast to 0.9% after the state lost 18,900 jobs in September

The bank now expects about 134,000 jobs to be added statewide in 2026, down from 173,600 in its September forecast, as most sectors shed jobs and manufacturing grew.

Sofia MarchettiOctober 21, 20262 min read

Texas Attorney General Proposes Strengthened Rules Restricting Foreign Land Ownership

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has proposed updated enforcement rules for Senate Bill 17, creating a public mapping portal modeled after the state sex-offender registry to track foreign adversary real estate holdings and establishing a dedicated investigative task force.

Camille RourkeOctober 10, 20262 min read

Texas Attorney General Launches Investigation Into UnitedHealth Group Over Patient Coverage Denials

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened a formal investigation into UnitedHealth Group, issuing Civil Investigative Demands under the Deceptive Trade Practices Act over alleged deceptive coverage denials, nursing home delays, and improper prior-authorization revocations.

Priya NairOctober 6, 20262 min read