Voters in a growing greater El Paso school district may be confronted this fall with a facilities improvement bond in excess of $768 million.
Following up on nearly two months of study, members of the Socorro Independent School District’s facilities advisory committee have put together a package addressing a wide array of facility construction and upgrading priorities.
The recommended projects include everything from the building of new schools, the renovation of existing and older schools, and district-wide restroom, library, and playground upgrades.
To be finally decided by the district’s school board for placement on this November’s ballot, the bond may also fund new classroom technology as well as a host of facility security enhancements.
The second largest school district in metro El Paso with nearly 50 individual schools, the Socorro Independent School District has a total enrollment in excess of 47,000 and facilities in East El Paso, Horizon City, and the City of Socorro.
Bond proposals have generally fared well in the district, with voters by a two-to-one margin in November of 2017 approving a $448.5 million bond measure designed to fund new school construction projects.
If the results of a survey of district residents released last month is an indication, however, prospects for approval of a new bond appear challenging.
While some 68% of respondents indicated that they had a positive impression of the Socorro Independent School District itself, upwards of 63% said they were likely to vote against a new bond. The vast majority, at 57%, of those expressing a negative opinion of a new bond said they were concerned about a rise in property taxes.
By Garry Boulard
