Donna ISD to hold bond election

DONNA — Residents will decide in May whether to let the Donna school district issue nearly $52 million in bonds to fund construction of a new high school.

District leaders say they are desperate for a new high school and hope the election will go in their favor after voters rejected Donna's last two bond elections.

Enrollment in the school system is up 28 percent over the last six years, and officials say the current high school, which serves students in grades 10-12, is stretched to the breaking point.

Donna High School opened more than 25 years ago, and the district's W.A. Todd Ninth Grade Campus is even older.

Originally designed for 1,600 students, Donna High now houses nearly 2,200, many of whom take classes in the school's 28 portable buildings, Principal Fernando Castillo said.

A new school would greatly improve conditions for students and staff, he said.

By easing congestion and opening a new school, students will be safer in the event of an emergency, because they won't be isolated in portable buildings away from the main campus, added Mike Flores, a member of the school board.

The board voted unanimously this week to have a bond election May 9, following the advice of a committee of more than 40 community members, principals and other school system employees.

But if history is any indicator, the district could face an uphill battle.

In 2008, voters rejected a $49.4 million bond proposal that would have funded a new school for 11th- and 12th-graders as well as an agriculture education facility.

In 2006, voters rejected a $47 million bond proposal that would have funded the agriculture center, a new elementary school, science lab upgrades at the high school and other projects.

Now, district leaders have a new strategy. The high school is the sole project that would be funded by the proposed bond issue.
Officials hope that will send a strong message to the community about the importance of the project, said Castillo, the Donna High principal.

"This need has been identified previously," said Robert Loredo, superintendent of Donna schools. "Now we're saying, ‘We just need this one high school.'"

The committee now must determine the specifications of the project as well as its location. School board trustee Flores said it will likely be situated north of Expressway 83, based on the area's growth patterns.

If approved, the bond would raise property taxes by about 8 cents per $100 of valuation. The current rate is $1.20 per $100.

The bond is contingent on whether the district receives funding through the state's Instructional Facilities Allotment program, Loredo said.

That program is currently being discussed by the state Legislature.

If the school system can secure funding, 79 percent of the project would be paid for by state money. If not, the project will have to be shelved.