Bennington School District debt clock
Figures below come from Bennington Public Schools public budget and bond materials. Outstanding debt is a multi-decade commitment—taxpayers deserve clear, plain-language reporting.
Current debt
Principal + interest since as-of date
$198,575,000
~$0.20 / sec · interest (est.)
Published principal $198,575,000 as of September 2026, plus estimated interest ($0). Whole dollars.
HS#2 authorization
2025 bond — not added again on top
$112,000,000
Authorized / issued context
Voter-authorized 2025 HS#2 bond. Issued amounts are already included in the $198,575,000 outstanding principal from the September 2026 presentation—not added again on top.
Source: BPS Board of Education Budget Hearing Presentation (September 2026). The $112M HS#2 authorization is shown for context. Issued portions are already included in the September 2026 outstanding principal.
What the proposed 2026–27 BPS levy would mean for homeowners
2026–27 proposed combined school levy
$1.345
per $100 of taxable valuation
Source: September 2026 Budget Hearing Presentation
vs. prior adopted: $1.358 (2025–26), −1.3¢
Proposed combined levy $1.345—not adopted. Board vote Wednesday, September 23, 2026, 5:00 PM.
In Nebraska, school levies are charged as dollars per $100 of your home’s taxable valuation (not necessarily the full market listing price). For a home with $300,000 of taxable value, the school portion of the tax bill at the proposed combined rate would be about $4,035 per year (($300,000 ÷ 100 × $1.345). Part of that supports the bond fund that pays principal and interest on district debt.
Why the bill can still go up even if the proposed rate is lower: if the assessor raises your home’s taxable valuation, you can pay more even at a lower rate ($1.345 proposed vs. $1.358 prior). The 2025 bond for High School #2 was presented by the district with a 0.0¢ tax-rate increase— but long-term debt still has to be paid through the bond levy, and growth in valuations affects what each household pays.
2025 High School #2 bond (authorized)
Voters approved a new bond for a second high school. District debt rises when bonds are sold and issued, typically in phases as construction needs cash—not all on election day.
Authorized bond amount
$112,000,000
- Purpose: Second high school at 180th Street & Military Road (capacity 1,000 expandable to 1,500).
- Repayment: District materials described a ~21-year repayment schedule for the package.
- Construction: Guaranteed Maximum Price with Hausmann Construction approved Nov. 2025 (~$98.4M construction GMP, per district newsletter).
- Outstanding vs. authorization: The September 2026 outstanding principal ($198,575,000) is current debt. The $112M 2025 HS#2 bond is authorized/issued context—not added again on top of that figure.
Campaign transparency tool — not an official district publication.
Published principal and the proposed combined levy ($1.345) are from the BPS September 2026 Budget Hearing Presentation.
That levy is a 2026–27 hearing figure—not adopted (Board vote Wednesday, September 23, 2026, 5:00 PM). Prior adopted combined levy was $1.358.
Live interest uses an estimate: bond fund tax asking ($12,115,431) minus
scheduled principal ($5,765,000) ≈ $6,350,431/year (~$0.20/sec, ~3.20%). That is a campaign
estimate of interest cost, not a district-published continuous rate. Homeowner examples use taxable valuation,
which can differ from market list price.
Bond facts: district 2025 bond page
and Board materials. Update js/debt-clock.js when official figures change.
How we borrow is a choice about the next twenty years
Bond financing can fund real needs—classrooms, capacity, and safe facilities—as Bennington grows. It also commits taxpayers for decades. Board members should talk through clear tradeoffs, realistic enrollment and cost projections, and spending that puts students in the classroom first.
- Know the difference between voter authorization and bonds actually issued
- Track principal paydown, interest, and levy impact in plain language
- Balance growth with fiscal restraint and classroom priorities
Responsible stewardship starts with transparency
If you care about how Bennington invests for students and taxpayers, I’d like to hear from you.