
Bond refunding is similar to a homeowner refinancing a mortgage to get a better interest rate. The district is essentially issuing a new bond that will be bought by a bondholder that will charge a lower interest than the previous one. Bond refunding allows the district to swap old higher interest debt with new, less expensive debt. Major ratings agencies like Moody's and Standard & Poor's assign a grade to the district. The district has received a total of seven bond rating upgrades since 1999.