Voters in the Canutillo Independent School District, headquartered in El Paso, will face a $187.5 million bond issue that has been long in the talking and planning stage.
Members of the district’s board of education in August approved putting the bond on this year’s ballot after months of meetings designed to prioritize the most needed projects.
A district with more than 6,000 students, the Canutillo ISD stretches from El Paso to the east, taking in the towns of Canutillo, Prado, and Vinton.
According to district officials, bond funds will particularly be focused on the creation of safe learning environments, which includes creating secured entryways at every one of the nearly dozen schools making up the Canutillo ISD.
In a statement, Superintendent Pedro Galaviz remarked: “We are living in different times than in the past and our schools need to be mindfully constructed to reflect the threats and challenges posed to modern society.”
The bond will also be used to replace the deteriorated roofs of several schools, and generally upgrade plumbing and HVAC systems.
Additional plans call for the construction of a new campus for the district’s Northwest Early College High School, as well as a new Career and Technology Education facility to be built at the site of the current Canutillo High School at 6675 S. Desert Boulevard in El Paso.
Also planned: a new middle school, set to be built in the northwest part of the district near the intersection of Interstate I-10 and Loop 375.
Voters have generally been supportive of bond proposals in the district, approving a $12.3 million bond in 2003 for new construction and renovation projects, as well as a $39 million bond in 2006 for the construction of two new elementary schools.
The growing district currently includes two high schools, two middle schools and six elementary schools.
By Garry Boulard