Austin ISD Launches New Website for Potential Bond Investors

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Jun 14, 2023, 09:15 ET

District partners with BondLink to enhance transparency, attract institutional investors

AUSTIN, Texas, June 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Austin Independent School District (Austin ISD) today announced its new website for financial information, AustinISDInvestorRelations.com. The new site, created in partnership with BondLink, will make the district's financial information more readily available for the community and potential bond investors, in preparation for Austin ISD's upcoming bond sale.

Austin ISD has partnered with BondLink to enhance transparency & attract institutional investors to their bond program

In November 2022, Austin voters overwhelmingly approved Austin ISD's $2.4 billion bond package, the largest ever in Central Texas. Bond projects will modernize Austin schools and increase security for students and staff.

Austin ISD is the eighth-largest school district in Texas, serving over 73,000 students in 116 diverse school communities. It is also the first district in the state of Texas to have a AAA rating, the strongest possible, from two separate rating agencies: KBRA and Moody's. The AAA rating indicates the lowest risk of default. It also ensures that Austin ISD will get the lowest interest rates when taking on debt, which saves taxpayers money.

"Austin ISD is committed to credit quality and strong relationships with our investors and our community," said Eduardo Ramos, Chief Financial Officer at Austin ISD. "Through the launch of our new investor relations website with BondLink, we aim to communicate directly with more investors and maintain transparency with our community, while finding new opportunities to enrich our students' education."

BondLink, the cloud-based investor relations and debt management platform for the municipal bond market, helps issuers like Austin ISD provide a single location for accessing data and documents detailing their financing programs' credit features. BondLink collaborates with other school districts across the U.S., including Ft. Worth Independent School District (TX), and Washington Elementary School District (AZ)

Colin MacNaught, CEO and co-founder of BondLink, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, saying, "Austin ISD is setting a great example for financial transparency for school districts across the country. Through this collaboration, we look forward to working closely with their finance team to enhance their investor relations strategy. Other ISDs can take note of this leadership and start thinking about how they can elevate their finance programs, particularly in today's choppier market."

For more information about the Austin ISD's new transparency initiative and upcoming bond sales, please visit AustinISDInvestorRelations.com.

About Austin Independent School District
The Austin Independent School District is the heart of public education in Austin, Texas—a city of ideas and innovation that tops the nation's rankings of the best communities in which to work and live. Austin ISD educates more than 73,000 students and embraces 116 diverse school communities in one of the fastest-growing metroplexes in the country. In partnership with its families and our community, Austin ISD's mission is to provide a comprehensive educational experience that is high-quality, challenging and inspires all students to make a positive contribution to society. It partners with world-class universities, innovative businesses, nonprofit organizations and engaged community leaders to prepare our students for college, career and life. For more information, please visit austinisd.org/about-us.

About BondLink
BondLink, a cloud-based investor relations and debt management platform for the municipal bond market, helps issuers engage more bond investors through transparency and actionable insights. Founded by CEO Colin MacNaught, who spent seven years issuing nearly $25 billion in bonds on behalf of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and CTO Carl Query, BondLink went live in 2016. BondLink clients issued more than $50 billion in bonds in 2021. BondLink provides its issuer clients with tools to manage their capital financing programs more efficiently while providing investors with the interim financial reports and data they need to close information gaps and make informed decisions through a single platform. The company is backed by top investors within the municipal bond market, including Intercontinental Exchange and Franklin Templeton. Headquartered in Boston, BondLink was recently named to the 2023 GovTech 100, marking its fifth consecutive appearance on the annual list. For more information, visit www.bondlink.com, and connect on LinkedIn and Twitter.