Houston Independent School District’s appointed board of managers voted unanimously to place the largest school bond in Texas history on the November ballot. The $4.4 billion bond will be the district’s first in over a decade.
The bond’s Community Advisory Committee was formed by the district and headed by Scott McClelland, HEB’s former president; Garnet Coleman, a former state representative of 30 years; and Judith Cruz, a former HISD trustee and board president. They hosted a series of community meetings to discuss the possibility of the bond ahead of the formal vote.
Roughly $2.05 billion of the bond would go to school upgrades, while $1.35 billion would be allocated to making campuses “safe and healthy,” which includes HVAC upgrades, campus security, and making sure environmental standards are met. The last $1 billion would go to advancing career and technical education.
“The community, I trust, that they’re going to support the bond because they know what kids need, they know our kids can’t wait… not a reflection of the policy,” said Superintendent Mike Miles in a podcast interview.
At the board meeting, State Sen. Molly Cook testified against the bond saying, “Across the district, the trust of this unelected board is broken.” She said, “You’re about to put a bond on the ballot, to ask Houstonians… to trust you with their tax dollars without transparency, accountability, or elected representation in return. That’s an unacceptable ask.”
The General Election is slated for Tuesday, November 5.
