Houston voters must decide whether to approve this significant financial investment under the current state-appointed administration or wait until the Houston Independent School District is returned to elected officials.
Supporters of the $4.4 billion bond proposal believe the bond is needed to improve learning environments across HISD.
Those opposed to it cite trust issues with the district’s state-appointed administration, Superintendent Mike Miles, and its handling of money.
This is the first time Houston voters will cast a ballot on something of this magnitude for the district and its future operations since the state took over.
Miles had made it clear that even if the bond is not approved, the district will still need to address its aging infrastructure. He says delaying these upgrades will only lead to higher costs in the future.
The bond is split into two propositions on the ballot that residents can vote on separately: Prop A proposes the allocation $3.96 billion for school building renovations and expansions, including safety and security infrastructures; while Prop B allocates $440 million for technology equipment, systems and infrastructure.
If passed, the district says it will begin construction in 2025.
MORE INFO: Tracking Houston ISD’s bond spending: Where did the money go?
Judith Kruse, Texas assistant director for Entrust Houston Region and former HHC trustee, joined KPRC 2 Tuesday to discuss why she supports the bond proposal.
“The majority of that [money] will go to renovating and rebuilding a little over 40 schools,” Kruse said. ”It will also include upgrades to safety and security. Given where our schools are in terms of just kind of the climate that we live in, we need to make sure that schools are safe. And this will include perimeter fencing, secure entrance. It will also include three new career and technology education centers and the upgrade of one existing one that exists in the U.S., and this is where students can earn industry-based certificates that will, you know, when they graduate from high school, they’re able to go directly into the workforce and earn livable wages in high need industries. It will also include the expansion of pre-kindergarten. And we have lots of areas in the district that have more demand than the district is able to meet.”
For those opposed of this proposal, Kruse said not all of the money will be rolled out once approved, so the state-appointed administration will not run the district for the long term.
She stated that the last time voters were asked to approve a bond was in 2012, and the last time the investments were made in elementary schools was in 2007.
“So, you can imagine with 284 different school buildings in the district, the need gets pretty high,” Kruse said. “We need to invest ongoing maintenance. A lot of our schools are over 50 years old, and we have hundreds of students attending school in temporary buildings and temporary buildings that have become permanent, that have been in use for not just years, but decades now. And so, we have mold and lead and other sorts of things that are not conducive for safe and healthy learning environments for students.”
Here’s what the district says the bond would be used for:
- $2 billion would go toward building and renovating campuses.
- $1.3 billion would be used to invest in schools, which includes HVAC systems.
- A billion would be spent on career and technical education.
- The rest of the money would be allocated to help with security and limiting the ways visitors can get into a school.