Adrian Bustillos is led into the San Antonio Independent School District board meeting, Monday, July 20, 2026 in San Antonio. San Antonio ISD identified which campuses will receive bond funding if voters approve a $600 bond package on Nov. 3.
Alma E. Hernandez/For the San Antonio Express-News
Nearly 70 of the San Antonio Independent School District’s 80 campuses could share $175 million in upgrades if voters approve the district’s proposed $600 million bond on Nov. 3, even as the district weighs shrinking its facilities footprint to match declining enrollment.
On Monday, the school system identified 29 elementary schools, 16 K-8 academies, nine middle schools and 12 high schools that are under consideration to receive upgrades, if the bond passes. The district also listed 10 district facilities for improvements, including athletic venues, the central office and warehouses.
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SAISD officials said that while the district had identified some schools for upgrades, it has still not determined which campuses would be in line for major renovations. The list of almost 70 campuses aren’t guaranteed to get renovations, district officials said Wednesday.
The list follows community questions about why SAISD had not named the campuses that could receive bond money ahead of the Nov. 3 election. The school board is developing its “New Way Forward” plan, which is expected to outline decisions about SAISD’s future and could lead to more school closures. SAISD has closed 17 schools since 2024.
The most recent San Antonio ISD school bond, passed by voters in 2020, is under a forensic audit, with just over $400 million left unspent. Two projects remain stalled, and the district placed two senior staffers on leave in connection with previous bond spending. The district has declined to comment on the personnel decisions.
SAISD’s proposed upgrades focus largely on improving campus safety, modernizing buildings and tackling ongoing maintenance needs. About $50 million is earmarked for safety improvements at 59 campuses, while another $125 million could be dedicated to facility improvements at 48 campuses. Some schools could benefit from both.
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“Before any approved funds are designated, SAISD will engage and collaborate with students, families, staff, and community members to determine what, where and how bond expenditures will be made,” district spokesperson Laura Short wrote in an email. She did not answer questions about what would happen if trustees decide to close schools on the list.
“The list is not related to potential school closures,” she said. “This is a list of facilities that have been assessed as needing the type of work in those categories.”
Which schools are not on the bond list?
Only a handful of SAISD campuses are not slated for improvements. The campuses not named for upgrades comprise four elementary schools — Herff, Pershing, Schenck and Washington — and four academies: Bonham Primary at Green, Martin Luther King, Steele Montessori and Woodlawn.
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One of the excluded schools, Martin Luther King Academy, has been demolished and is awaiting a rebuild as part of the 2020 bond package. Its students are temporarily learning at Gates Elementary, which is set to close once work at MLK is completed.
Gates is on the list of campuses set to receive security upgrades. The district did not answer questions about what would happen after students leave Gates for their newly constructed campus.
Carroll Early Childhood Center was also not on the list for 2026 bond money. CAST Tech and the Advanced Learning Academy, which are located at Fox Tech, would be included as part of that campus’ bond projects, Short said on Wednesday.
The Healy-Murphy Center, which serves preschool students and older students who are pregnant or parents, was also not listed. SAISD leases the facility, Short said.
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The district serves about 42,000 students in the city’s urban core and is seeking voter approval on its $600 million bond as other government bodies, municipalities and utilities also seek rate and tax increases. If approved, the average San Antonio ISD homeowner would pay an extra $5.76 a month by the end of the decade.
“The time is now for SAISD,” Superintendent Adrian Bustillos said at a San Antonio Express-News Editorial Board meeting last week. “We want to ensure our kids have modern learning spaces, and they have the right tools and access, just like any other student across the nation.”
The school system, which encompasses much of the city’s urban core, operates 80 campuses. District leaders say that number should be closer to 50 after a prolonged period of enrollment declines.
Districts across Texas and the San Antonio area are struggling with budget shortfalls they often attribute to declining enrollment and state funding that has not kept pace with rising costs. But SAISD faces a distinct challenge: It is the oldest district in the city, and many of its campuses are aging, costly to maintain and too small to absorb more students if a nearby campus closes.
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If voters approve, the bond will also fund upgrades to district technology, new devices for staff and students, cybersecurity upgrades and bringing district vehicles, including school buses and police cars, up to state standards.
The district is also asking voters to approve a tax rate increase that would bring in an additional $5.5 million annually. Unlike bond dollars, which must be used for capital expenses, the tax increase could help cover operating costs.
SAISD hopes to use the additional funding to bolster teacher training, give staff a one-time bonus and improve college and career education for students. But district officials did not provide specific dollar amounts for those initiatives, when asked last week.
The last time voters passed a bond package, the district ran into problems with rising costs. Six years later, several projects remain incomplete, have not begun or have been paused.
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To plan for higher costs, Chief Financial Officer Dottie Carreon said the 2026 bond proposals account for a possible cost increase of about 5%.
Election Day is Nov. 3, and early voting runs Oct. 19 through Oct. 30.
Editor’s Note: This report has been updated to clarify that the campuses San Antonio ISD listed to share in 2026 bond dollars is still preliminary, and that the list of campuses to receive major renovations remains in flux.
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