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2019 ECISD Bond Information

Added Mar 06, 2019 •

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Get the latest information on the 2019 Edinburg CISD Bond Election.

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Hello I'm Olga Mendez with Edinburg CISD. Thank you for taking a moment to watch this presentation on the Edinburg CISD 2019 Bond. Let's take a look at our district information. Edinburg CISD currently has 43 campuses with 34,500 students enrolled and more than 5,000 employees. Edinburg CISD encompasses 945 square miles, making it the largest District in Hidalgo County. As well as, the largest employer in Hidalgo County. Let's take a look at our current student enrollment. In high schools, we have a total enrollment of 10,052 students with an average enrollment per campus of 2,513 students with 76 portable classrooms. In the middle schools, our total enrollment is 7,445 students with an average enrollment per campus of 1,240 students and 42 portable classrooms. As you can see, the recommended school capacities for high school is 2,000 students. While the recommended school capacities for a middle school is 1,000 students. What is a bond election? In a bond election, voters authorize or do not authorize Edinburg CISD to borrow money to finance the construction or renovation of schools through the issuance of bonds. The State of Texas helps districts that pass a bond by providing matching funds. Edinburg CISD has built the trust of the community by investing wisely and paying the bonds on time. What have District bonds built in the past? In the past 20 years, voters have approved three different bonds.  With a 1998 bonds, we built Economedes High School B.L. Garza Middle School, Betts, Guerra, Trevino and Villarreal Elementary. And with the 1999 bonds, we built Edinburg High School, Avila, Esparza and Magee Elementary with renovations to 10 existing campuses. And with the 2008 bonds, we built Harwell and Longoria Middle Schools, three Performing Arts Centers, four elementary schools, including Crawford Flores-Zapata, Ramirez and Gorena Elementary, renovations to Robert Vela High School and Brewster School. It is important to note that voters approved 7 cents, but the district only taxed 5 cents. Included in the Bond Forecast Committee are members from central office, campus representatives and community members, which include three parent members and Board of Trustees. So what exactly is included in the 2019 bond proposal? The 2019 bond proposal is $220,660,000, which would include the addition of a new high school, one new middle school, Career and Technical Education Center on the north side, Career and Technical Education Center on the south side, and also renovations to elementary school gyms. Monte Elementary School and Villarreal Elementary School will both receive classroom wings. And in addition to that, improvements in the land to prepare for construction will also be part of this bond. Let's talk about the state funding support. The tax rate increase would be at 4 cents with a state share of 44% and a district share of 56%, which would again total at $220,660,000. Schoolhouse bonds will be paid through the 4 cent increase in property taxes and Texas Education Agency Existing Debt Allotment (EDA) Funding. So you may be asking, What does 4 cents mean to you the taxpayer? The average home value in the Edinburg Community is approximately $87,000. So, we're going to take a look at the taxable home value for $100,000. The cost to the taxpayer per year of a home valued at $100,000 would be $40. The cost to the taxpayer per month when you divide that up by 12 is $3.33. It's also important to point out Edinburg CISD property taxes for Citizens age 65 or older will not be affected by the 2019 bond election as long as the homestead exemption has been filed with the Hidalgo County Appraisal District. Let's take a look at the tax information a bit further. A taxable home value of $100,000 will equal to $3.33 to the taxpayer per month. In our surrounding districts, the tax rate comparison is as follows. If you notice, Edinburg CISD is way at the bottom of this list with only a $1.24. Even with a 4-cent increase, ECISD would remain in the bottom half with a total tax rate of a $1.28. So, let's talk about the projects I mentioned earlier, starting with a new high school. The new high school will cost $103,011,816 $103,011,816 and will include 2,000 students, 301,665 square-foot building, competition fields and a Performing Arts Center. Also, the addition of a new middle school will cost $45,151,237. It will include a 1,000 students, a 135,000 square-foot building, athletic fields and Fine Arts facilities. So now, let's take a look at the Career and Technical Education Centers, starting with the north side. The estimated cost of the north education center will be over $26 million with classes in the industries of auto collision, diesel technology, cosmetology and much more. The education center on the south side will be at an estimated cost of over $25 million with classes in the same industries as the education center on the north side. And now, let's continue with other projects included in the ECISD 2019 Bond. Anita Villarreal Elementary School will receive an additional classroom wing with an estimated cost of over $1.9 million. In addition to that, Monte Cristo Elementary School will receive an additional classroom wing as well with an estimated cost of over $1.9 million. You may be asking, what else is included in the 2019 ECISD Bond? Well, 17 elementary school gym renovations. The renovations will include restrooms, coaches office, air- conditioning storage lighting and flooring with an estimated cost of over $14.7 million. The elementary schools included are Betts, Cano-Gonzalez, Canterbury, Cavazos, De La Vina, Eisenhower Escandon, Guerra, Kennedy Lincoln, Monte Cristo, San Carlos, Travis, Trevino, Truman Villarreal and Zavala Elementary. The bond will also include land improvements, which include drainage improvements, building and paving roads, water and sewer for an estimated cost of over $2.5 million. Early voting will begin April 22nd through April 30th with Election Day on May 4th. For more information on the ECISD 2019 Bond, visit us at our website at www.ecisd.us or on social media.

Also listed in 2019 Bond Information