# District says it can bond for one new high school without raising taxes, but not two

## What happened
Superintendent Dr. Hensel told the Vigo County Oversight Board the district's existing bonding capacity (how much it can borrow through long-term bonds without raising its tax rate) supports a 20-year bond for only one new high school, and asked whether the county could use its own bonding room to help fund a second — so the district isn't forced to choose between an east-side and a west-side school. [Bonding capacity for one high school, 1:18:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s3JyoW5XM4&t=4687)
He said the district has not yet discussed specifics with the Terre Haute Casino Foundation, whose future support could help pay for an east-side high school, and that its current debt-service tax rate (the share of the property-tax rate set aside to repay bonds) of about 0.2424 is what supports its one-high-school bond. [Casino Foundation not yet discussed, 1:19:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s3JyoW5XM4&t=4750)
He added that county commissioners have told the district they believe they, too, can fund one high school without raising their own rate — which together, he said, could cover the entire high-school portion of the plan. [County's own bonding room, 1:21:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s3JyoW5XM4&t=4872)

## The outcome
No vote was taken; the district asked the oversight board to explore whether the county can help fund a second high school.

## Sources
- [Bonding capacity for one high school, no tax hike, 1:18:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s3JyoW5XM4&t=4687)
- [Casino Foundation not yet discussed; current debt-service rate, 1:19:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s3JyoW5XM4&t=4750)
- [County's own bonding room, per commissioners, 1:21:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s3JyoW5XM4&t=4872)

*Also known as: Option Six funding · county bonding capacity for schools · Terre Haute Casino Foundation partnership · one high school without a tax increase · West Vigo renovation funding · Terre Haute North and South consolidation funding*