$129.75 Million Bond For E.C.I.S.D. Placed On November Ballot
By: Katiera Winfrey
Updated: August 16, 2012
The board voted to get the bond put on the November ballot.
Hector Mendez, the district superintendent, said this plan has been in the works for nearly 13 years. Recently, however, the measure was able to get pushed through with the help of the community.
"We recruited community members to participate, and they actually helped us develop the proposal," said Mendez.
The bond proposal is made up of many components; the money is just the building block to help the schools reach a higher academic grade.
Specifically when you say bond, you are talking about cash in order to build, but what we're talking about is getting aligned with what the state already has mandated," said board member Fay Batch.
A major portion of the bond, if it's passed in November, will allow the district to move to a middle school model and end the old junior high system.
Batch said, "As a board member I think it's time for us to finally for us to move to that."
The plan will essentially turn middle school to sixth through eighth grade. All across Texas, that's already the norm. In Odessa, currently, junior high includes ninth grade as well. So, with the bond, that will let Odessa catch up with the rest of Texas.
Officials say, for the bond to passed they will need continual support from the community.
"It has to be a community plan, and that's the beauty of tonight, it's really a collaborative effort between the community and us, and as you heard the principals say, it's right for schools as well," said Mendez.
The bond will include three new elementary schools and expansions to both high schools.
The Annual tax increase for homeowners:
- Home Value $100,000- $4.83/month= $57.96/year
- Home Value $200,000- $9.67/month= $116.04/year
- Home Value $300, 00- $14.50/month= $174.00/year
Board members say, people 65 year old and over will be exempt from any tax increase. November 6 is when voters will be able to cast votes on this bond.
