Leaders of the East Central Independent School District are regrouping the day after voters roundly rejected a tax increase and a trio of bond issues intended to repair aging sports facilities and build new schools to keep up with explosive growth.
“We didn’t get the result we hoped for, but we look forward to reengaging with our Facilities Committee and gather[ing] additional feedback from the broader community,” Superintendent Roland Toscano said in a statement. “As a fast-growing district, we have important challenges to address in safety, space for our students and support for quality educators.”
By next year, the district’s enrollment of 11,501 is expected to rise to 13,215 and up to 25,617 by the 2033-34 school year, making it one of Texas’ fastest-growing districts, according to officials.
In a statement provided by the district, officials said they will seek community perspectives to “refine a bond proposal that addresses shared goals.”
In the statement, the district said moving forward with a solution sooner rather than later could help prevent higher future costs, with construction costs projected to escalate between 10-15% annually.
Without the extra funding expected from the property tax increase, district officials say a budget shortfall of $2.4 million is expected to grow to $9 million.
Further complicating future bond efforts, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signaled at a recent campaign stop for Marc LaHood last week that local taxing powers could be limited or eliminated as part of his agenda to lower or eliminate property taxes next session. LaHood won his race for state representative in House District 121 Tuesday.
“In addition to passing that property tax cut, we’re going to do this year what we did not do last year,” he said. “We’ve got to close the loophole that allows these taxing entities to be able to go back behind our back and raise those property taxes.”
In addition to rejecting the district’s bond issues, voters ousted incumbent school board member Victor Garza, electing David Santos Jr., a sales specialist for Midwest Filtration.
With around 25,000 votes cast for each ballot measure, only 47.4% approved of a tax increase for homeowners within the district of five cents for every $100 of property value, which would have unlocked an additional $6,600,000 for the district to use.
Only 44% supported Proposition B, which asked for $331,143,000 to fund the construction of three new schools and renovations across the district to relieve enrollment pressure and fix older buildings.
Propositions C and D, which would have addressed aging sports facilities, were only supported by 43% of East Central voters.
