K-12 Education
Strategic Partner for K-12 Education
Piper Sandler continues to be a national leader in partnering with school districts to develop, implement and execute cost effective financing solutions. We serve primary and secondary schools as both underwriter and financial advisor. In 2017, our K-12 education team completed 396 bond issues providing $11.8 billion in financing to meet our clients' capital and infrastructure needs*. We provide the local and regional expertise required to effectively serve our clients.
Whether you're looking to build a new facility or refinance debt, our experts in K-12 school district financing are ready to deliver innovative financing solutions.
School district experience
Our areas of school district financing include the following:
- General obligation bonds
- Capital planning
- Debt refinancing
- Certificates of Participation and general fund obligations
- Tax & revenue anticipation notes
- School district bond rating process
Our transactions page provides a representative listing of senior-managed K-12 education bond issues underwritten or placed by Piper Sandler.
General obligation bonds
General obligation bonds are the key financing tool that school districts use to build new facilities and make facility improvements. We've guided hundreds of school districts through the complex general obligation bond process from start to finish. We'll help you plan for a bond issue, assess its tax impact, structure the issue and secure the rating.
Capital planning
Your school district's bond issue starts with capital planning. We'll help you determine the cost of your project, how much your school district can afford and what the impact to taxpayers will be. This requires in-depth knowledge of your state's property tax system, tax equalization laws and bond issuance statutes.
Next, we'll use our knowledge of local election laws to structure your bond issue in a way that voters are most likely to accept. We'll even help you review and design election surveys and campaign materials – because we know how critical it is for your bond issue to pass.
Debt refinancing
School districts with outstanding debt need a partner who can watch the market for money-saving opportunities the moment interest rates change. We actively monitor the outstanding debt of our school district clients to spot opportunities to save money as interest rates conditions allow. We're equipped to move quickly and lock in these savings and we know how to combine refinancing options with your new bond issues to meet your overall debt objectives.
Certicifates of Participation & general fund obligations
Many states allow their school districts to finance certain projects without voter approval through certificates of participation in a lease (COPs), or other bonds not backed by a general obligation pledge. We have extensive experience with this type of financing, and can help you use it to reach your goals.
Tax & revenue anticipation notes
Many school districts sell tax and revenue anticipation notes (TRANs) to provide cash flow funding between revenues and expenditures. We're a national leader in TRAN funding. We'll help you project your cash flow needs and determine whether TRANs make a good fit for your district.
School district bond rating process
We know how to help you attain the highest possible bond rating to reduce the interest costs on your bonds. In fact, a number of former rating analysts are part of our team, delivering additional insight on how to guide you through this important part of the bond issuance process.
