Ysleta ISD: Board sends a nearly $452M bond to voters May 9th
The Ysleta Independent School District Board voted 6-to-1 to send a nearly $452 million bond to voters May 9th, Wednesday night. Riverside Trustee Ana Duenez was the only vote against the bond election.
“I’m pleased, I’m very pleased,” said Superintendent Xavier De La Torre, PhD. “I think what drew me to the Ysleta School District was this opportunity, I think tonight was a huge milestone.”
The bond amount increased to $451.5 million after YISD decided to increase the amount allotted for the Eastwood feeder-pattern.
On Monday the board heard YISD’s Preliminary Master Plan which details hundreds of millions of dollars to close empty schools, repair, rebuild and renovate old buildings, and modernize classrooms for the next generation of learners.
There are four factors affecting every single one of its 60 schools: enrollment has declined and the district is operating below capacity; the 100-year-old district has buildings that are old and deteriorating; YISD has to re-brand itself to survive the 21st century; there has to be equity for all students.
Broken down by feeder pattern, YISD wants to invest:
– $89 million in Del Valle
– $94 million in Eastwood
– $65.7 million in Bel Air
– $46.8 in Hanks
– $39.2 million in Yselta
– $26.4 million in Riverside
– and $48 million toward enhancements.
Beyond repairs and upgrades, big ticket items, include:
– Closing Hillcrest Middle andRanchland Hills Middle, and building Bel Air Middle in its place at $31.5 million
– Combining Mission Valley Elementary and Valley View Middle, and building Del Valle Middle for $67 million
– Rebuilding Eastwood High for $66 million
-A Young Women’s Leadership Academy, focusing on STEM would be built at the Hillcrest Middle location.
– Camino Real Middle and Cadwallader Elementary would close
One detail board members will have to be comfortable explaining is the tax rate increase of 10 percent.
It would be $91 more. For a $100,000 home, the total tax bill would be $975 compared to $884 taxpayers pay now.
De La Torre said that will be anywhere from $5-$12 more per month.
