PRESIDIO — This upcoming Wednesday, April 23, Presidio ISD will host a Q&A session about the $9.9 million school bond that will appear on the May 3 ballot. The bond would translate to about 18 cents per $100 of property value for property owners within the district and would go to address an array of improvements across the three campuses.
Potential projects that could be paid for by the bond include upgrades to the playgrounds and daycare at Presidio Elementary, expansion of the cafeteria at Lucy Rede Franco Middle School, and upgrades to the high school’s career and technical education facilities. The list was developed by a staff survey distributed at the beginning of the school year. If the bond passes, the district will then determine a definite list of projects and rank them by priority.
Other local school districts have had mixed results pursuing bonds. In 2022, a $57 million bond was rejected by voters that would have built a new K-12 campus for Marfa ISD. Alpine ISD had to try the issue three times before voters approved an over $22.5 million bond in 2018.
If passed, the new bond is not projected to make a big difference in local property tax bills. The district is on the cusp of paying off an approximately $4.5 million bond passed in 1998 that also carried an 18 cent per $100 cost. The law, however, requires the ballot to say that bonds increase property taxes. “Passage of the bond will not result in an increase in the property tax rate, despite the ballot language,” explained Superintendent Carmen Rubner.
If the bond does not pass, the tax rate will drop to its maintenance and operations rate of around 80 cents per $100 of valuation.
For more information, community members can attend the district’s informational session on Wednesday, April 23, at the Presidio Activity Center from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Questions and comments can be left ahead of the session at surveymonkey.com/r/PISDBond25.