Lubbock ISD trustees vote to call $290 million bond election after Future Focus committee recommendations

Lubbock ISD trustees on Thursday voted 7-0 to call a bond election for May 3, 2025, proposing $290 million in school improvements after a monthslong Future Focus Committee process and a district presentation outlining additional projects.

The Future Focus Committee recommended projects totaling roughly $178.3 million by supermajority of its table groups; district staff told trustees they could expand that slate to $290 million if the district sells bonds in multiple tranches without increasing the current interest-and-sinking (I&S) tax rate. Dr. Rollo, a Lubbock ISD administrator who presented the proposal, said the district would sell the bonds in two phases and has modeled modest property-value growth to avoid raising the tax levy.

Why it matters: The proposal would fund safety and security upgrades, replacement or renovation of aging elementary campuses, academic programming improvements including middle-school science labs and auditoriums, career and technical education expansions, and capital renewal work such as HVAC, plumbing and roofing. District leaders said the package is intended to reduce long-term operating costs by replacing inefficient buildings and consolidating underutilized campuses.

Details of the proposal and Future Focus findings District staff said the Future Focus Committee — more than 100 community members, parents, teachers and students who met repeatedly to review proposals — produced a supermajority-backed list of priorities totaling about $178.3 million. Melin Henry, a committee member, told trustees that the committee’s recommended items included $17 million for safety and security (security film, door replacements, fire alarms, cameras and fencing) and approximately $52.3 million in efficiency projects with major replacements such as Wolfers and McWhorter campuses and other campus renovations. Henry said decisions were the result of table votes where items required strong support to be included.

Dr. Rollo said the district is proposing to carry forward everything the Future Focus Committee recommended and add projects — increasing the total ask to $290 million — by pacing bond sales over time. “We are asking you to look at some additional projects,” Dr. Rollo said during the presentation. He described the district’s goal as addressing infrastructure that is not visible to the public but drives high maintenance costs for old buildings.

Key projects named by staff and committee members include: - Safety and security: additional security film, access control upgrades, cameras, fire alarm upgrades and fencing (committee-listed $17 million for initial items). - Efficiency/new construction: replacement of Wolfers and McWhorter with a new elementary; a new elementary to serve Bean and Hodges students; a proposed new elementary for Williams and Stewart; Rush Elementary cafeteria replacement; a science-lab addition at Atkins Middle School. Staff noted operational savings demonstrated after prior consolidations (the district cited an $1.8 million first-year savings when Wright, Guadalupe and Jackson were combined into Carmona Harrison). - Academic programming: renovation of middle school auditoriums; renovation of middle school science labs; expansions to career and technical education (Culinary Arts expansion at the ATC, upgrades to health professions equipment, expanded and advanced welding offerings). - Capital renewal: HVAC, plumbing, electrical panel replacements, roofing, kitchen upgrades and new parking/paving/drainage.

Taxes and ballot language District staff presented financial scenarios showing how the district could sell bonds in phases (examples shown: an initial $200 million sale followed by later sales of $50–90 million) and still remain within the current I&S rate. Staff emphasized that the district’s total tax rate is at its lowest level since 1993 after prior tax changes and homestead exemptions. Dr. Rollo warned trustees that state-required ballot language (from legislation passed in 2019) will include the phrase that a bond is a property tax increase even when local modeling shows no increase in the tax levy. He told trustees: “It doesn’t matter if you raise it, leave it the same, or lower it. That verbiage has to be on there.”

Trustee discussion and community input Trustees and speakers on the record praised the Future Focus process and students who served on the committee. Trustee Curry argued that recent state funding changes largely bought down property taxes rather than increasing ongoing district operating revenue, and said the state money did not address facility needs: “The $6 billion the state put in last session was to buy down my property taxes,” Curry said, adding concerns about teacher pay and building maintenance if the district does not address aging facilities.

Several students who served on the Future Focus Committee spoke to the board during the workshop portion and described the experience as educational and meaningful. Keegan Valdez, a junior at Talkington High School, said the committee allowed participants to “see the broader picture” and to support students and staff across the district.

Outcome and next steps After the workshop, trustees moved to adopt an order calling a single proposition bond election for $290,000,000; the motion passed 7-0. The board also discussed that the proposal would be presented as one proposition on the May 3 ballot and that, if approved by voters, staff would schedule phased bond sales. Trustees and staff said they plan additional outreach and clear messaging for voters about the projects, the projected tax impact and how the district would implement campus consolidations and capital work.

Votes at a glance - Order calling bond election (Proposition A — $290,000,000): Adopted, vote 7-0. Effective/election date: 2025-05-03.

Ending Trustees closed the business portion of the meeting and later convened an executive session; no further public actions were reported after reconvening.