Midland Independent School District Bond Measure (2012)
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Bond history Finances Local ballot measures, Texas |
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Voters in the Midland Independent School District, which is located in Midland County in western Texas, approved a $163 million bond on November 6, 2012, making it the largest bond passed in the city's history. The school board put it on the ballot to seek funding for the construction of three new elementary schools and for improvements on 24 other elementary campuses in the district. The renovations and new buildings were needed to accommodate student enrollment growth.[1][2] At the time of the election, the school district served 23,319 students in 35 schools.[3][4]
The bond passed with 61.82 percent of voters casting ballots to approve it. In the decade leading up to the 2012 bond vote, eight other school bonds had been put on the ballot, only three of which were approved by voters. One failed in 2000, and three failed in 2002. One was approved in 2003, while another bond that year was rejected by voters. Two passed in 2007. In 2003, voters passed a bond for $67.1 million, and the two approved in 2007 gave the district a total of $37.2 million. After the bond passed in 2012, the next-largest school bond put before voters was for $110 million in 1996, but it was rejected.[1][2] For more information on these bonds, check out the Midland Independent School District bond history page.
District officials estimated that taxes would increase by $38.26 per year for owners of property worth $100,000. A chart detailing the tax increases for owners of property worth more than $100,000 can be found below in the "Tax impact for residents" section.[5] Midland Superintendent Ryder Warren told the Midland Reporter-Telegram that he was surprised by the large margin of approval for the bond. “I’m very proud of how informed our community members have been, learning about the state of our schools and voting. The community saw the need and voted for it,” said Warren.[1]
Election results
| Midland Independent School District Bond Measure, 2012[2] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Yes | 23,878 | 61.82% | ||
| No | 14,747 | 38.18% | ||
Bond supporters
Better Schools for a Better Midland PAC
The bond was supported by the Better Schools for a Better Midland political action committee. The PAC raised $186,650 for campaign expenses in support of the bond. The funds came from nine businesses and 16 individuals, according to the Midland Reporter-Telegram. The 30-person PAC talked to over 5,000 citizens of the schools district, according to the PAC's co-chairwoman Laura Roman. They also sent out 40,000 letters asking for support of the bond.[1]
Midland Reporter-Telegram
The Midland Reporter-Telegram came out in support of the bond's passage on October 21, 2012, by publishing the following opinion article:
| “ | We want to reaffirm our support for the $163.1 million school bond being put before Midland voters on Nov. 6. We know MISD officials are not asking for a small amount of money. On the contrary; if the referendum passes, it would be the largest passed in this city’s history, and by no small margin.
We believe Midland voters in the past 20 years have been generous, while still very responsible, in approving hundreds of millions of dollars in commitments to public projects, including a new airport terminal, a new sports complex, a new jail and a new hospital tower. Midland voters also approved additions to Midland College and Midland ISD and pulled the trigger to fund economic development. As we wrote in September, “In each case, Midlanders voted for a better community.” We also believe now is the time to help put into place a key cog in Ryder Warren’s improvement initiative. Warren has brought the type of leadership our school district sorely needed, and we still believe Warren’s goal isn’t to build for the sake of building but to offer school settings where teachers can provide the lessons that make the most sense for our community. We want to reiterate that voting for this project is a step in acknowledging we must be proactive in preparing ourselves for the challenges of tomorrow. We have expectations this community will continue to grow, and to meet the demands of that expansion we can’t be satisfied with schools busting at the seams or adding fixes we all know to be temporary. We aren’t alone in our view here. Oil companies such as Pioneer, Fasken, Concho, Chevron and EOG have shown their long-term commitment to Midland with building projects that easily eclipse the bond project’s $163 million price tag. We also have seen many key players in the oil industry back the elementary school initiative. We should follow suit. The supporters of tomorrow’s Midland Independent School District can’t be satisfied with doing the bare minimum. We believe Midland must be better than a community willing to pass the burden on to the next generation. We must take seriously the challenge of making our district among the finest in Texas. The most educated workforce requires nothing less. It’s time for Midlanders to make up for the deficiencies that have been years in the making. It’s time for a commitment to education befitting a community that never settles for second best. That includes a commitment to the highest accountability measures for our school board, our superintendent, our principals and other administrators, our teachers and each other. School district officials must be serious about creating a education system that’s right for Midland. We believe it is time for everything to fall into place, starting with the community making a huge statement on Nov. 6. After all, a vote for the bond isn’t about bigger government but for better schools. And while we support what community leaders have put before the electorate, we remind all voters the most important thing you can do during the early voting period or on Nov. 6 is to vote. For or against, make your voice heard. The process deserves your participation.[6] |
” |
| —Midland Reporter-Telegram (October 21, 2012)[7] | ||
Bond opposition
Americans for Prosperity
Peggy Venable, the director of the Texas chapter of Americans for Prosperity, came out in opposition to the 2012 bond measure. She said the bond would nearly double the school district's debt. She also referenced a report released by Texas Comptroller Susan Combs (R) showing that local debt in the state had doubled in the last 10 years. During that time, local debt grew at a rate faster than population growth and inflation.[8]
Venable also used the Midland Independent School District as an example in a testimony to a Texas House of Representatives Ways & Means Committee hearing in the spring of 2012 to describe Americans for Prosperity's opposition to local governments "racking up debt."[9]
Use of bond funds
The chart to the right details how the district allocated the 2012 bond funds. There were five main allocations: school and academic improvements, technology, safety and security, deferred improvements, and site improvements.[10]
School and academic improvements
The bond provided the district with enough funds for 167 new elementary school classrooms. The district planned to add 47 new classrooms on to existing elementary schools and to build the other 120 classrooms in the form of three new school buildings. The new schools were set to be built in southeast, west and northwest Midland. Other school and academic improvements included renovating cafeterias and building on additions for gyms, art rooms and music rooms.[1] The board's design plans for the new schools can be found here.
The 167 new classrooms allowed the district to get rid of its temporary portable classrooms, which had been used to keep up with student enrollment growth prior to the passage of the bond. After getting rid of the portable classrooms and adding the new classrooms, the district had room capacity for 1,860 new students.[10]
Technology
The technology portion of the bond included classroom technology and student and staff computers. The bond provided funding to update staff computers and to put at least five desktop computers in each classroom. A mobile laptop cart was also provided for each school campus. Classroom technology improvements included projectors, cameras, laser printers, interactive whiteboards, smart tables and handheld student response systems. The bond further provided for technology updates district-wide, such as adding WiFi, replacing network equipment and upgrading telephone systems.[10]
Deferred maintenance
The deferred maintenance part of the bond provided funds for adding energy-efficient lighting; upgrading the district's energy management system; replacing water, sewer and gas lines; and upgrading mechanical systems. Funds were also allocated for roofing projects, bathroom fixture replacements, and stage lighting and curtain replacements.[10]
Safety and security
Safety and security allocations included putting cameras in school classrooms, in hallways and on the exteriors of buildings. The bond also provided funds for a building access control system, which included door control, panic buttons and emergency lockdown abilities. The bond further included fire alarm systems, security lighting and fencing around school campuses.[10]
Site improvements
The site improvements included in the bond were playground equipment, parking lot expansions and replacements, sidewalk extensions, new bus drives and new parent drop-off locations.[10]
Tax impact for residents
The table below breaks down the bond's financial impact on taxpayers in the district based on estimates from district officials.[5]
| Impact for Midland Taxpayers[5] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home value | Tax prior to bond passage | Tax after bond passage | Yearly impact | Monthly impact | Daily impact |
| $100,000 | $77.27 | $115.53 | $38.26 | $3.19 | $0.11 |
| $150,000 | $122.72 | $183.50 | $60.78 | $5.07 | $0.17 |
| $200,000 | $168.17 | $251.46 | $83.29 | $6.94 | $0.23 |
| $250,000 | $213.62 | $319.42 | $105.80 | $8.82 | $0.29 |
| $300,000 | $259.07 | $387.38 | $128.31 | $10.69 | $0.36 |
| $350,000 | $304.52 | $455.34 | $150.82 | $12.57 | $0.42 |
| $400,000 | $349.97 | $523.30 | $173.33 | $14.44 | $0.48 |
| $450,000 | $395.42 | $591.26 | $195.84 | $16.32 | $0.54 |
| $500,000 | $440.87 | $659.22 | $218.35 | $18.20 | $0.61 |
| $550,000 | $486.32 | $727.19 | $240.87 | $20.07 | $0.67 |
| $600,000 | $531.77 | $795.15 | $263.38 | $21.95 | $0.73 |
| $650,000 | $577.22 | $863.11 | $285.89 | $23.82 | $0.79 |
| $700,000 | $622.67 | $931.07 | $308.40 | $25.70 | $0.86 |
| $750,000 | $668.12 | $999.03 | $330.91 | $27.58 | $0.92 |
| $800,000 | $713.57 | $1,066.99 | $353.42 | $29.45 | $0.98 |
| $850,000 | $759.02 | $1,134.95 | $375.93 | $31.33 | $1.04 |
| $900,000 | $804.47 | $1,202.91 | $398.44 | $33.20 | $1.11 |
| $950,000 | $849.92 | $1,270.88 | $420.96 | $35.08 | $1.17 |
| $1,000,000 | $895.37 | $1,338.84 | $443.47 | $36.96 | $1.23 |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Midland Independent School District' Texas '2012 bond'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Midland Independent School District, Texas
- Midland Independent School District finances
- Midland Independent School District bond history
- Local school bonds on the ballot
External links
- Impact for Midland Taxpayers
- Long Range Facility Master Plan
- Design plans for new schools
- Proposed improvements by campus
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Midland Reporter-Telegram, "Midlanders pass largest bond in city’s history," November 6, 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Midland Independent School District, "Midland ISD Bond Elections as of 2013," accessed November 24, 2015
- ↑ Texas Education Agency, "Student Enrollment Reports," accessed November 11,2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 11, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Midland Independent School District, "Impact for Midland Taxpayers," accessed December 7, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Midland Reporter-Telegram, "School bond makes sense for Midland," October 21, 2012
- ↑ Midland Reporter-Telegram, "Cruz: 'We need to get back to West Texas values,'" September 30, 2012
- ↑ Americans for Prosperity, "Issues: Local Governments Racking up Debt," May 7, 2012
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Midland Independent School District, "Long Range Facility Master Plan," July 30, 2012
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