The Canutillo Independent School District’s $387 million bond proposals appear headed to approval, early voting results indicate.
About 56% of early voters cast ballots in favor of the proposal to build new schools and renovate existing ones, while 55% voted in favor of issuing bonds to pay off old debt.
This would mark the first bond proposals Canutillo ISD voters approve after voting down two others in four years.
“We’re very hopeful. It’s a good indication of the support the district has garnered and the change in perception that we’ve made with the public,” Canutillo ISD Communications Director Gustavo Reveles said about the early voting results on Saturday.
Canutillo ISD district leaders have said the projects would help address declining enrollment and save the district from financial crisis as it deals with a deficit of $6 million. The district is preparing to approve a budget for the coming school year with an even higher deficit.
Proposition A asked voters for $379 million to build four new schools: A permanent facility for the Northwest Early College High School; new campuses to replace Deanna Davenport Elementary and Alderete Middle; and a new school to replace Canutillo Middle School.
Some of that would also be used to pay for repairs, safety and security improvements, new roofs, heating and cooling systems, and to upgrade its career and technical education services.
Proposition B asked voters for $7.2 million to repay maintenance tax notes – or debt that did not require voter approval – which were used to provide students with laptops during the COVID-19 pandemic.
School district officials have said that, if approved, the bond would raise school taxes on the average $288,000 Canutillo home by $38 a year. Homeowners with a qualifying senior citizen homestead exemption would not see an increase.
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