SAN ANTONIO – Voters in the San Antonio Independent School District overwhelmingly approved two propositions that will bring technology upgrades and significant renovations to aging campuses.
In the Nov. 3 election, Proposition A, a $1.21 billion bond that will allow renovations at 36 campuses was approved with 68.46% of voters in favor of the bond.
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The district said 21 of those campuses have not received a full renovation in more than 50 years. The rest of the campuses will receive finishing improvements from construction that began either in the 2016 or 2010 bonds.
Nearly 70% of voters in the district were in favor of Proposition B. That $90 million measure will supply classrooms with more efficient technology like high-speed internet, individual devices, interactive smartboards and audio systems.
“We’re grateful to our community and to our taxpayers," Superintendent Pedro Martinez said in a news release. “Our academics have been improving so much. We’re one of the fastest improving school districts in the state. And now, we’re able to match our facilities and our classroom spaces with those academic gains."
He added that “every school will be impacted,” and outdated air conditioning and security systems will be upgraded.
Rick Flores, the principal of Rhodes Middle School, told KSAT in October that the bond will bring facilities up to code. The school is among the campuses that haven’t been renovated in more than half a century.
The last time Rhodes Middle School had a renovation was in the 1980s for a new air conditioning system, which also needs to be replaced.
Last month, district officials took a KSAT crew for a tour of the school, which has damaged walls, aging equipment and some areas of the campus which are not code compliant.
The bond will not increase voter taxes, according to the district.
A few combined factors have placed SAISD in a position to issue the bonds without having to raise the district’s total tax rate:
- Downtown construction and renovations: There have been significant building development within the district’s boundaries that increases SAISD’s total taxable property value and generates more money to SAISD without having to raise the tax rate. This trend of building projects is expected to continue.
- Interest rates at all-time lows: With interest rates at an all-time low, SAISD will pay less interest on the bonds. The district anticipates generating enough revenue at the current tax rate, and with the increased property values coming from downtown development, to pay off the lower-interest debt.
- Decline in existing debt service: SAISD’s annual debt payments are scheduled to decline over time as the district pays down debt. This means money will be freed up to pay for debt issued under Bond 2020.