Residents tour schools named in upcoming bond election projects

It’s just over six weeks until a big Nov. 3 vote for the Ysleta Independent School District, which is making another attempt to pass hundreds of millions dollar in bonds that district leaders say are crucial to its future.

And for the next 6 weeks, YISD will be pushing hard to tell district residents about the upcoming bond vote and try to convince them it’s necessary – and worth it.

“We’re trying to provide as much information as possible relative to both the process to arrive at the current proposition,” said YISD Superintendent Xavier De La Torre. “And second, some information about the actual project list and what we hope to do if the community considers and supports $430.5 million dollar facilities bond.”

The district is holding bus tours along with community meetings, holding up some schools like the recently rebuilt Eastwood Middle School as an example of what can be done. YISD is also showing other schools as an example of what needs to be fixed, and hoping to change minds in the process.

“I voted against the initial bond in May,” said district parent James Cox, “and I didn’t realize how bad the issues were.”

Cox has two sons in YISD schools. He said he used to just see the outside of the schools and think everything was fine, until he was asked to be a part of the district’s bond advisory committee. Now he wants more district residents to take a closer look at the realities.

“My mom’s over 65, she owns several rental properties in the district,” Cox said. “I wanted her to understand what the issues are. And she gets that now. She’s starting to understand how bad some of the issues are in the district.”

The district is pushing a constitutional amendment that will be on the November ballot that should let residents save on taxes. Proposition 1 will raise the homestead tax exemption from $15,000 to $25,000. Even then, district leaders are trying to appeal to residents who would like to get the savings without any other tax increases.

“One thing you don’t want to do is, again, be cavalier about a person’s personal economic reality,” De La Torre said. “But what I would say is that nothing has a greater impact on our economic prosperity as a community than the quality of our education that we provide our students.”