Ysleta ISD board brainstorms about failed bond election, discusses next steps

It was a brain-storming session at the Ysleta School Board meeting Wednesday night, as the trustees and Superintendent Dr. Xavier De La Torre discussed the different reasons voters disapproved of the $452 million bond.

Trustees talked about the bond being too big, too expensive, and too complicated. Now they’re going back to the drawing board to figure out if another bond election in November is even a possibility.

“It’s a Monday morning, quarterback scenario,” De La Torre said.

Consultants said Ysleta ISD got caught up in a catch-22. More than any other district, YISD put out the most information about its bond, the goal being to saturate the voters with the details. Instead it spawned the desire for more.

“Ultimately it wasn’t enough in some circles,” De La Torre said.

Trustees reported their constituents were confused by all the projects. Some residents were skeptical about the claim schools were crumbling or over-capacity. They figured, Eastwood high looks fine from the outside, it doesn’t need to be rebuilt. Others knew their schools were crumbling, but didn’t see where the bond would fix them.

“Just tell us in the simplest terms what it is or how it is that our students will benefit,” De La Torre said.

Now the board and De La Torre have decisions to make: Do they drop some projects to shrink the bond’s bottom line? Should every feeder pattern get similar allocations? Do they rush to put it on the November ballot, which promises a bigger turnout? Or do they go slow, and work to get the 49 percent who voted against it on their side, possibly paying for a Spring 2016 election when they feel voters are ready?

“When you lose 70-30 percent then I would agree that the voters have spoken and I would stand down and I would retreat,” De La Torre said. “When you lose by a percent, a percent in a half, I feel that you owe it those who did support the bond to at least reconsider returning and ask them if they would reconsider it with some minor improvements.”

De La Torre said the research shows the chances of passing a bond “cafeteria style” or when it’s broken down in separate elections, goes down, as opposed to just being up front with the voters about what you need.

De La Torre said he will continue to shoot for that November election.