The San Marcos CISD board of trustees unanimously voted Monday night to place a $107.3 million bond proposition on the May 6 ballot.
The bond would fund projects aimed at addressing capacity and equity issues at the district’s elementary, middle and high school campuses. Among the projects are construction of a new elementary school at a cost of $30.5 million, renovations to all elementary school campuses and Goodnight Middle School at a cost of $32.6 million, an addition and renovation at Miller Middle School at a cost of $19.6 million and classroom additions at San Marcos High School at a cost of $17.3 million. Other projects included in the bond would address security, technology and energy management.
The bond is not expected to increase the district's tax rate, which is $1.4141 per $100 property valuation.
Maurica Barr, a district employee who also has children attending SMCISD schools, spoke during public comment and said in the four years she has been with the district, she has seen her work space and student work space get more and more cramped due to growth.
“Our space is getting very, very cramped,” Barr said. “I see that both in my gradual loss of real estate that I work with but also with my children.”
Barr said the lack of space has forced some students, such as those in special-needs programs to work in cramped spaces, and—in some cases—in closets and textbook rooms or in teachers' offices.
“We are grabbing space and squishing people aside every which way we can,” she said. “We are just out [of space]. There’s nothing. We have to do something. Until we move forward with some sort of solution, we are not giving our kids what they need. The teachers are suffering and the children are suffering, and there’s just not a solution unless we have space.”
In addition to capacity issues, the bond would address equity at campuses like DeZavala Elementary School. That campus is the only elementary school in the district that has not undergone major renovations. The bond would fund updates to that campus that would bring it up to the same standard as other campuses within the district.
"[DeZavala is] a campus that needs some love, as far as elementaries [go]," Superintendent Michael Cardona said. "They all do but DeZavala in particular because it hasn't been updated."
The bond would also fund "rightsizing" of Miller Middle School to make it similar in size to Goodnight Middle School, which is considerably larger than Miller because it was formerly the San Marcos High School campus.
On Wednesday, San Marcos City Council will consider the second reading of an order to place a $32.2 million bond on the May 6 ballot. That bond will be broken into two propositions, and, if both are approved, would increase the city's tax rate 8.37 cents per $100 of property valuation.
The district had the option of waiting until November, when the proposition would not have to be on the same ballot as a city bond, but Dan Brown, a member of a committee tasked with formulating the bond proposal, pointed out construction costs are likely to continue increasing.
Additionally, Assistant Superintendent Karen Griffith said the Federal Reserve is likely to meet this summer, and there is anticipation they will raise interest rates, which could increase the bond’s cost if a rate is not locked in beforehand.
An initial vote to break the $107.3 million proposition into two separate bond packages—totaling $55.2 and $52.1 million, respectively—failed with a 3-4 vote. Trustees John McGlothlin, Kathy Hansen and Margie Villalpando voted in favor, and trustees Lupe Costilla, Anne Halsey, Miguel Arredondo and Clem Cantu voted against.
When a second motion was made to approve the bond order as one $107.3 million package, Hansen said she would still support the bond, although her initial preference was for two separate propositions to be put to voters.
“I’m going to vote for this because I believe it should be a 7-0 vote, and I know we have needs,” she said.
San Marcos CISD $107.3 million bond
- New elementary school: $30.5 million
- Renovation to all elementary school campuses and Goodnight Middle School: $32.6 million
- Miller Middle School addition and renovations: $19.6 million
- Classroom addition to San Marcos High School: $17.3 million
- Addition of a new transportation center and 10 new buses (to serve new elementary school campus): $3.8 million
- Energy management systems: $1.5 million
- Additional technology and security infrastructure: $2 million
