Walnut Valley USD is excited to share that Moody’s Ratings (“Moody’s”) has recently upgraded the District’s credit ratings on the existing general obligation bonds to ‘Aaa’ from ‘Aa1’, which is the highest rating outcome possible. This outstanding outcome was largely due to the District’s robust financial position, and stable enrollment trend as a result of its “district of choice” status. Other factors contributing to the rating upgrade were the District’s robust and growing local economy, and strong governance supported by management’s conservative budgeting.
Moody’s is one of the three leading credit rating agencies in the nation, which rates the District, its general obligation (GO) bonds, and other financings. Rating agencies assign credit ratings based on their independent and in-depth review of the issuer and credit risks of their debt – allowing issuers to efficiently access debt markets and investors to make informed investment decisions. Similar to an individual’s credit scores issued by the top credit bureaus, the primary benefit of a high credit rating is lower interest costs and issuance costs. In the case of the District’s GO bonds, lower interest costs directly translate to taxpayer savings.
In April 2026, the Walnut Valley Unified School District successfully priced the sale of General Obligation Refunding Bonds that will deliver more than $1.8 million in taxpayer relief to the community over the next 15 years. The District refinanced General Obligation Bonds (“GO Bonds”) previously issued in 2016 related to Measure Y and Measure S. The District achieved the savings by taking advantage of lowered interest rates without extending the term of the originally issued GO Bonds.
Under State law, all savings from the GO Bond refinancings will go directly to the taxpayers. The District will not receive any additional funds.
Contact:
Dr. Matt Torres
Deputy Superintendent, Business Services
(909) 595-1261