Mary Scott NabersU.S. bond elections each year routinely involve hundreds of billions of dollars in proposed funding, and approximately 80% of the funding receives voter approval nationwide. The bond funding is used for major capital projects and initiatives such as school construction and modernization, transportation infrastructure, water systems and public safety facilities.
In 2024, California lead all states as voters approved a total of $20 billion in funding for upcoming projects. This included $10 billion to support water projects and wildfire prevention efforts. Another $10 billion was approved by voters for K-12 and community college facility projects.
Other states cumulatively received voter approval for approximately $148 billion in bond funding, allocated for transportation infrastructure, school projects and water treatment plants, plus several other smaller projects.
Many states held 2025 bond elections in May of this year and Texas led the nation in scale. Voters in Texas approved $37.7 billion in funding for school district projects. It was the largest bond ballot in Texas history.
The largest amounts of approved funding were designated for school districts that included Celina ISD, Melissa ISD, Mesquite ISD, and Hays CISD. These districts alone now have approximately $6.4 billion to spend on educational infrastructure.
More bond elections will occur nationwide in November of this year and the amount of funding up for approval then will be larger by far than what was approved in May. The Strategic Partnerships Research Team tracks all bond elections in every state and details each project approved for funding. The team also monitors projects that aren’t approved for funding, as companies looking to invest in public initiatives value that insight just as much. If interested, view SPI’s dedicated webpage for bond reports.
The following upcoming opportunities are similar in scope to hundreds more that are currently in planning stages throughout the U.S.
Education officials at the Savannah-Chatman County Public School System in Georgia will oversee a $705 million project to construct a new K-12 school, a new high school and an athletic complex in West Chatham County. The new construction will be supported by a voter-approved bond package from March of this year. The large project will be designed to improve the educational infrastructure in the district and accommodate the growing student enrollment.
The K-8 facility has a projected cost of approximately $95 million, and it will be designed to consolidate existing educational facilities, streamline operations, and improve learning outcomes for students. The new high school carries an estimated cost of $85 million, with the new athletic complex allocated $100 million. All three projects are in the design phase, which began in 2025. Contracting solicitation documents are planned for release in 2026 and bidding may not begin until early 2027.
Voters in Durango, Colorado, approved a bond package that provides funding for a project to repurpose an historic school site into a new city hall. The voters also voted to financially support the conversion of a nearby city-owned building into a public safety facility and upgrade other municipal assets.
The city hall and police facility carry an estimated cost between $60 million and $80 million. The renovation and repurpose project on a facility that was constructed in 1916 will be quite complex but when completed, it will meet all safety and accessibility standards and still maintain the historical façade. It will be designed to consolidate all city services under one roof. The auditorium and gymnasium areas will be converted into office space. Locker rooms will be demolished and made ready for a parking area that will provide underground parking for police vehicles and aboveground spaces for city employees.
A nearby city-owned building will be converted into a new public safety facility and the two buildings will be connected by the proposed parking garage. Construction will be completed in a phased approach, with the city hall transformation project completed first, followed by the law enforcement facility and the new parking garage. The city anticipates awarding a design and engineering contract for the city hall and police facility project in August. If the design phase spans almost a year, construction solicitations are anticipated in early 2027 and the chosen delivery method will for a construction manager at risk (CMAR).
Officials at the Kaneland Community School District in Illinois received $140 million in funding from a bond election in April of this year. The approval was granted to make it possible for officials to move forward with a much-needed district-wide facility improvement project.
The project will be designed to remediate the aging school infrastructure, address the need for expansion, and alleviate the current classroom overcrowding by expanding and modernizing classrooms and learning environments. Safety and accessibility improvements will be made to multiple campuses. The project will improve schools in Elburn, Sugar Grove, Kaneville, and Maple Park.
While the project is still in the early planning and design stage and there is no timeline yet for construction solicitations.
Voters in Middlebury, Vermont, approved a $50 million bond package that will support a major renovation of the city’s wastewater treatment facility. The plant was originally constructed in 2000 and the building, equipment, and technology show signs of significant corrosion and wear. Parts for building controls and many equipment parts are no longer readily available. Some of the equipment is also no longer supported by manufacturers and this puts citizens, businesses and all other operations in Middlebury at risk of a water failure. Improvements will be made to equipment and structures throughout the treatment plant, including the main pump station, septage receiving, secondary treatment, storage, disinfection, effluent flow measurement, operations building, solids handling building, and generator. Permitting and design work is expected to last into early 2027 and the procurement phase will begin later in 2027.
Voters in Osawatomie, Kansas, approved a $20.5 million school bond package to support district-wide facility improvements across the
Osawatomie United School District. The funding will support three primary projects with the most significant component of the work being major renovations to the high school where an $11 million boiler system replacement will be required and a new roof will be installed. Approximately $41 million will fund other infrastructure enhancements.
The middle school will also receive a new roof along with approximately $1 million in planned upgrades. Another $1.2 million will be earmarked for school improvements to the elementary school, including the purchase of playground equipment after a playground renovation has been completed. Construction solicitations are planned for 2026.
Strategic Partnerships, Inc.’s research, in tandem with this column, will soon share more details about upcoming projects expected to be included in bond packages currently in development for the November elections across the U.S.
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