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
$159,365,000
~$0.20 / sec · interest (est.)
Published principal $159,365,000 as of September 8, 2025, plus estimated interest ($0). Whole dollars.
Current + future debt
Adds full $112M HS#2 authorization
$271,365,000
~$0.35 / sec · interest (est.)
Principal $271,365,000 (current + $112,000,000 authorized), plus estimated interest at the same ~4.06% rate ($0). Illustrative — full $112M not all issued yet.
Source: BPS Board of Education Budget Hearing presentation (2025–26 budget). Right clock is a campaign illustration if the full authorized HS#2 bond is outstanding on top of current debt.
What the current BPS levy means for homeowners
2025–26 total school levy
$1.358
per $100 of taxable valuation
General Fund: $0.975
Special Building Fund: $0.025
Bond Fund (debt service): $0.358
The district held the total levy at $1.358 for 2025–26—the same rate as the prior year (budget hearing materials).
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 is about $4,074 per year (($300,000 ÷ 100 × $1.358). Of that, roughly $1,074 supports the bond fund that pays principal and interest on district debt ($300,000 ÷ 100 × $0.358).
Why the bill can still go up when the levy rate stays the same: if the assessor raises your home’s taxable valuation, you pay more even though the rate ($1.358) did not change. 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).
- If fully issued on top of current debt: combined principal near $271,365,000 before further paydowns (illustrative: current published debt + full $112M authorization).
Campaign transparency tool — not an official district publication.
Published principal and levy rates ($1.358 total; bond fund $0.358) are from the BPS Sept. 8, 2025
budget hearing packet. Live interest uses an estimate: 2025–26 bond fund tax asking ($11,074,216) minus
scheduled principal ($4,610,000) ≈ $6,464,216/year (~$0.20/sec, ~4.06%). 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.
Debt is a choice about the future
Bond financing can fund real needs—classrooms, capacity, and safe facilities—as Bennington grows. It also commits taxpayers for decades. Board members should insist on clear tradeoffs, realistic enrollment and cost projections, and spending that prioritizes students in the classroom.
- 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.