Midland I.S.D. Agrees To Put $163 Million Bond On November Ballot
By: Matthew Farrell
Updated: August 14, 2012
MIDLAND -- Sweeping changes could be coming to Midland's elementary schools, but only if voters support them.
After a unanimous decision by the M.I.S.D. board of trustees, voters will see a referendum for $163 million on the November 6th ballot.
If approved, this money would be used for renovating current schools, and adding new ones to go along with the cities rapid growth.
Superintendent Ryder Warren explained that the district is looking at an area on the southeast side where the city is seeing growth, but the city also sees a lot of growth on the west side so they're looking at building two new elementary schools there.
So at $163 million, what is the impact to the taxpayer?
Well, if you own a $100,000 house, you can expect to see an increase of $115 per year, which breaks down to about $9.63 a month.
It is important to note that even if this passes, this is only step one in a larger master plan.
"This is part of a long-range plan that is hopefully going to propel us into the future just like midland did back when they started building schools," Dr. Warren said.
Doctor warren said his plan has four drivers:
-He wants to retain the best teachers.
-Provide the best programs for those teachers.
-Make real changes in Austin.
-Develop a facilities plan.
The next step in the facilities phase targets the secondary education buildings, but first there is more work to be done in the community.
"We're going to go back to the very beginning, to the drawing board looking at what now is going to be a secondary school focus and we're going to go into the community and say 'what does midland want?'" Dr. Warren explained.
For now, though, the focus is on improving the elementary schools.
The goal is to add more technology, and offering the best possible learning environment.
The next step for the school district is to get the word to the people about the upcoming bond election and make sure people understand what this bond could do for the district before the November 6th election.
After a unanimous decision by the M.I.S.D. board of trustees, voters will see a referendum for $163 million on the November 6th ballot.
If approved, this money would be used for renovating current schools, and adding new ones to go along with the cities rapid growth.
Superintendent Ryder Warren explained that the district is looking at an area on the southeast side where the city is seeing growth, but the city also sees a lot of growth on the west side so they're looking at building two new elementary schools there.
So at $163 million, what is the impact to the taxpayer?
Well, if you own a $100,000 house, you can expect to see an increase of $115 per year, which breaks down to about $9.63 a month.
It is important to note that even if this passes, this is only step one in a larger master plan.
"This is part of a long-range plan that is hopefully going to propel us into the future just like midland did back when they started building schools," Dr. Warren said.
Doctor warren said his plan has four drivers:
-He wants to retain the best teachers.
-Provide the best programs for those teachers.
-Make real changes in Austin.
-Develop a facilities plan.
The next step in the facilities phase targets the secondary education buildings, but first there is more work to be done in the community.
"We're going to go back to the very beginning, to the drawing board looking at what now is going to be a secondary school focus and we're going to go into the community and say 'what does midland want?'" Dr. Warren explained.
For now, though, the focus is on improving the elementary schools.
The goal is to add more technology, and offering the best possible learning environment.
The next step for the school district is to get the word to the people about the upcoming bond election and make sure people understand what this bond could do for the district before the November 6th election.
