Understanding school finance, a deep dive with Samco Capital - Oct. 17, 2025

Kurtis and Dr. Hawkins are joined by Doug Whitt, from Samco Capital, to take a deep dive into school finance and how school bonds work from a financial viewpoint.Table of Contents:00:00 - Welcome00:55 - Good Things: Pizza with Parents03:22 - How finance is examined for bond capacity04:42 - How often is a district debt free?06:17 - What is CCISD's maximum bonding capacity?07:16 - What is the process to form a Long Range Facilities Planning Committee?11:42 - What happens once a district passes a bond?17:38 - What might it look like in CCISD if Bond 2025 passes?21:34 - What does it mean when a district pays off its debt & how often does that really happen?24:30 - What has the CCISD board done to address facilities so far?27:44 - How did we get here?29:57 - Capital projects vs. Maintenance in schools31:55 - A look at today's bond environment35:26 - Common bond misnomers, including how the M&O tax rate works39:28 - Personal finance vs. public school finance41:08 - School bonds vs. Federal Government debt41:58 - How bond capacity is calculated & how refinancing could work47:52 - Understanding a parent's perspective51:32 - Estimated financial impact in the community54:13 - Normal place to be & final bond stats55:04 - Looking Forward