Reprint from the Progress Times - April 25, 2008
©Progress Times 2008 - All Rights Reserved

Board calls for bond issue election

 

By Ricky Reynoso

The Mission Consolidated Independent School District (MCISD) board of trustees have called for a bond issue election to be held on May 10, with early voting being held April 28 through May 6. If passed, the $59 million bond issue will be the largest voters have approved in the district's history.

According to Craig Verley, director of Public Relations, the most recent bond, which was passed in May of 2006, totaled $57 million and included the construction of Art Cantu Junior High, Escobar-Rios Elementary, Mission and Veterans Memorial High School Fine Arts facilities, and various renovations to Cantu, O'Grady, Mims, Leal, Waitz and K. White. In contrast, the December 1997 and May 2000 bond issues totaled $34 million and $38 million, respectively. The December 1997 bond included additional classrooms to Alton Elementary, Cantu Elementary and Leal Elementary, renovations to Bryan Elementary, Castro Elementary, Marcell Elementary and Pearson Elementary, among other projects. The May 2000 bond included the construction of Alton Memorial Junior High, Cavazos Elementary, Midkiff Elementary, Land Purchase at Mile 4 Rd. and Stewart Road, the expansion of Central Kitchen, Mission Jr. High renovations, and the expansion of the Ninth Grade campus into what is now Veterans Memorial High School.

With the proposed 2008 bond, the facilities needs assessment committee decided that the two highest priority projects are the construction of a new elementary school in south Mission and continuing campus improvements at Mission High School (MHS), some of which were originally on the 2006 bond issue. The cost of the new elementary would amount to $15,884,856, while the MHS renovations would cost $18,387,424. The rest of the projects are listed as follows: Alton Elementary $5,328,908, Bryan Elementary $577,000, Castro Elementary $672,550, Cavazos Elementary $300,000, Marcell Elementary $572,000, Midkiff Elementary $40,000, Pearson Elementary $515,000, Salinas Elementary $1,402,456, Alton Memorial Junior High $300,000, Roosevelt Alternative School $200,000, Cantu Elementary $1,864,586, Leal Elementary $4,063,123, Mims Elementary $1,044,187, O'Grady Elementary $298,187, Waitz Elementary $1,819,125, K. White Junior High $2,034,385, Mission Junior High $150,000, Veterans Memorial High School $1,692,007. The total estimate for the projects amounts to $57,145,424.

If approved, the district would also take advantage of the Texas Education Agency's Instructional Facilities Allotment (IFA). Chief Financial Officer Connie Lopez mentioned in an April 3 meeting that the IFA program helps the poorest districts with the funding of a bond and its related tax rate, and since Mission CISD is considered the 31st poorest school district in Texas, the state would then fund 75 percent of the debt while the district would pay the remaining 25 percent. This means that the bond issue would require the district to increase its current property tax rate by a maximum of seven cents over a two year period. The interest rate on the bond would run at 4.832 percent  over a 30 year period.

Along with the bond issue the district is holding a trustee election for Place Four and Place Five on the MCISD board of trustees. The two candidates running for Place Four are Patricia O'Caña-Olivarez and Danny Carrera. The three candidates running for Place Five are Patty Bazaldua, Dan C. Gerlach and J.D. Villarreal.

The polling places for early voting will be the City of Mission Council Chambers and the City of Alton Council Chambers. They will be open April 28 and 29 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., April 20 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., May 1 and 2 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., May 5 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and May 6 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.