El Paso ISD bond committee weighs school projects, replacements and taxpayer impact

EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — Big decisions about the future of the El Paso Independent School District could soon impact students, families and taxpayers across the Borderland as the district’s Citizens Bond Committee works to prioritize potential projects and possible school replacements over the next several years.

The committee, made up of parents, community members, local professionals and district staff, met for its fourth of eight planned meetings at the Young Women’s STEAM Academy to continue building what district leaders described as a long-range master plan that could guide district priorities for the next four years.

“It’s a bunch of people from different communities coming together, and they start putting together like a long-range master plan. That’s really what it is,” Deputy Superintendent David Bates said. “The board will consider a bond in the future, but this is like the plan for the next four years. So I really like this process because it comes from the people as opposed to coming from administration or anyone else.”

District leaders said recording was not allowed during the meeting to protect the integrity of the process, though the district allowed KFOX14/CBS4 to take photos.

Much of the discussion during Wednesday’s meeting focused on facilities and campus needs across the district.

District leaders said each campus has been evaluated to determine how well each school supports learning and long-term student needs.

Presentations included possible improvements such as roofing repairs, HVAC upgrades, plumbing, fire suppression systems, stairs and campus safety enhancements.

Committee members are also reviewing possible school replacements for Bliss, Milam and Park elementary schools, campus additions to remove portable buildings, and options for vacant properties across the district.

You can view the district’s facilities condition data here.

Julia Spencer reports on EPISD’s bond committee meeting

Projects are being divided into priority levels by the committee, with each member voting on which needs are more urgent than others.

The district also shared results from community surveys showing many residents support school projects but remain concerned about possible tax increases.

The district and citizens bond committee began this process in March; however, the discussions also come as the district continues working to address a current $52.8 million budget shortfall for this school year.

District leaders said they are reviewing multiple bond options ranging from no tax rate increase to the maximum allowed under a possible bond.

“So when we go through bond scenarios, we do look at a zero tax rate. That’s a person we look at. How much can we get if we ask the voters to not increase the I & S [Interest & Sinking] ?” Bates said. “So we don’t want to raise people’s taxes. That’s not what we want to do. We want to take the 89th legislative session, where they use compression and our I & S tax rate being exactly the same and not raise taxes.”

District leaders stated the public is not invited to the committee meetings because school board trustees selected community members to take part in the process.

The committee is expected to vote on the overall bond master plan on June 11 before it goes to the school board in August, when trustees are expected to decide whether to place a possible bond on the November 3 ballot.

You can view the previous presentations from the first three meetings below:

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