Edinburg school bond proposals on track to pass by wide margin

EDINBURG -- With eight of 11 precincts reporting, the Edinburg school district's two bond referendums are set to pass by a landslide.

Proposition 1 called for a$111.9 million bond issue that would pay for the construction of four new elementary schools, two new middle schools and three auditoriums at the district's high schools, as well as for renovation of other school buildings. Among the eight precincts reporting, voters have cast 2,709 ballots for the measure and 1,109 against -- a margin of more than 2:1

Proposition 2 called for authorizing bonds from 1998, which would allow the district to refinance them at a lower interest rate. Among the eight districts reporting, voters have cast 2,619 ballots for the measure and 1,080 against -- also a margin of more than 2:1.

Voters here have not approved a bond issue for the city's schools in nine years. They shot down two bond proposals in 2004, but early voting times for those were limited to normal business hours. This time polling location were open as late as 9 p.m.

Edinburg's past bond proposals -- the biggest of which, in early 2004, was for $64 million -- failed because the school district failed to inform the public about the need for new classrooms, and voters were wary of handing over so much money to school board members, according to district leaders.

Also this year, a pro-bond political action committee has sought to drum up support - through advertisements, phone banks and walking door-to-door to talk with residents about the measure.

The district has added more new students than any other in Hidalgo County in the past five years. District leaders anticipate enrollment in 2016 to reach more than 45,000 - more than 50 percent higher than the current head count.

Passing the $111.9 million bond would allow the district to qualify for state instructional facility funding. It would raise property taxes by 7.76 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. That means the owner of a home assessed at $95,000 - and with a homestead exemption - would have to pay $62.07 more in property taxes per year, should the district receive the state support.

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