For the El Paso Independent School District, maintaining 71 schools for an estimated 48,000 students is no easy task, especially when many structures are over 50 years old.
To deal with the bevy of infrastructure improvements, the district is proposing a $445.8 million bond. It will address everything from outdated swamp coolers in schools, failing roofs and facility updates to aging and potentially dangerous electrical systems. Amid a vote to approve financial exigency just months ago, the district is already looking to the future by modernizing its campuses.
"Our Bond Citizen Steering Committee put together a list of needs for the district that came out to $1 billion, which is the long-range master plan," EPISD Deputy Superintendent David Bates
said. "We don't want to raise the tax rate, so we wanted to do a bite-sized bond of $445.8 million. That doesn't raise the tax rate. That includes $93 million in replacing swamp coolers. They were originally installed in 1986 and it's time for refrigerated air."
What else does the proposed EPISD bond aim to improve?
Bates noted the package includes $170 million in deferred maintenance for schools and facilities.
Athletic upgrades are also part of the bond at specific campuses, like locker rooms, weight rooms, trainer rooms and gyms. Separate from that are stadium upgrades that address returfing football fields, resurfacing tracks, scoreboard improvements and safety measures, including repairing stands and installing handrails.
"One of my favorites in this bond package is the student experience that totals $25 million," Bates said. "That is what kids and teachers need for 21st-century learning. That's drones, 3-D printers, flexible furniture in classrooms instead of traditional desks. Although there's $1 billion worth of needs, we certainly need to get caught up."
The 2026 Bond Information Guide underscored that the measure came from members of the public rather than the boardroom.
Overall, it cites the package had five weeks of public engagement, over 1,600 public comments and 55 meetings by the steering committee and various subcommittees.
For property owners in El Paso, while a higher appraised home value can affect your overall tax bill, the passage of this bond does not increase the tax rate. EPISD will continue to use its existing interest and sinking rates to repay the bonds.
A final vote is expected to take place during its Tuesday, Aug. 11, regular session.
Proposition A would address school facility renovations and infrastructure, while Proposition B would cover safety, security and technology.
"I think the public knows these schools need deferred maintenance to be fixed," Bates said. "Our folks in the community know we need to replace air conditioners. They also know we need to restore trust, and financial exigency was a step towards that because of its transparency. It was us coming in saying and showing there was something wrong."
For Bates, the role of the steering committee was to illustrate how the district listens to its constituents.
According to district data, EPISD has not passed a bond since 2016. Bates noted in the decade since, construction and material costs have risen significantly, technology needs have changed dramatically, and other Texas school districts have continued investing in their facilities — placing EPISD at a growing disadvantage.
Kristian Jaime is the Top Story Reporter for the El Paso Times and is reachable at Kjaime@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso ISD eyes $445.8M bond for school repairs without tax hike
