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SASD Board member Ed Garza speaks during a San Antonio ISD board meeting. Garza said he could not support district proposals related to the 2020 bond.<\/p>\n
Robin Jerstad<\/p>\n
The San Antonio Independent School District board\u2019s meeting turned tense Monday night as trustees questioned unfinished bond projects and debated the district\u2019s future months before a November election for more bond funding.<\/a><\/p>\n SAISD is seeking<\/a>\u00a0voter approval for\u00a0<\/a>a $600 million bond<\/a> to continue upgrading aging schools. The region\u2019s oldest school district has more campuses than it needs as enrollment declines<\/a>. Many of its aging buildings are costly to maintain and too small to absorb students if or when nearby schools shutter.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The district, like many others in San Antonio, has lost students in recent years<\/a>. SAISD serves 42,500 students across roughly 80 schools. The district has closed 17 campuses since 2023, including two last school year.<\/a> Superintendent Adrian Bustillos said Monday that enrollment is projected to fall to about 33,000 by the end of the decade.<\/p>\n In 2020, voters approved a $1.3 billion bond<\/a> for major renovations, security upgrades, technology improvements and new central air systems at dozens of campuses.\u00a0At the time, SAISD enrolled nearly 46,000 students.<\/p>\n But hundreds of millions from that bond have gone\u00a0unspent. For nearly an hour on Monday, SAISD trustees pressed staff on the status of projects voters approved six years ago, questioning where the remaining money is going, and how much is left.<\/p>\n During the discussion, district leaders asked trustees to approve two campus renovations, upgrade three high schools’ football and track facilities, move $4.7 million earmarked for improvements at a K-8 school to other projects and approve a new framework for contractor fees.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cI just can\u2019t support any of the recommendations tonight,\u201d trustee Ed Garza said.<\/p>\n The board ultimately voted 5-2 to table $65.8 million in proposed\u00a0campus renovations at Davis Middle School and Martin Luther King Jr. Academy for Arts Integration. Trustee Mike Villarreal joined Garza in voting no. The administration\u2019s other requests were approved.<\/p>\n Garza cited stagnant enrollment at Davis as one reason he opposed the request. He also said he lacked confidence in how the remaining bond money was being allocated. About $420 million from the 2020 bond remains unspent, a district spokesperson said in an email on Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a concern,\u201d Board President Alicia Sebastian said. \u201cTo make these one-off decisions once again and not understanding the implications of the entire portfolio.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Some projects approved under the $1.3 billion bond have stalled<\/a> as inflation has driven up construction costs since the pandemic.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not us neglecting what we committed to,\u201d Sebastian said. \u201cBut this is us making sure that we\u2019re looking at the conditions right now and coming back when we have more information.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n