Weslaco ISD superintendent outlines district finances, bond projects and future planning

Dr. Richard Rivera, superintendent of Weslaco ISD, told the board on Feb. 20 that the district's total tax rate is 0.9481 and reviewed remaining balances on past bonds and loans while previewing capital projects from the 2024 bond and additional projects funded from the district's fund balance.

Rivera said the district's 2024 bond election totaled $160,000,000 and said the district plans to refinance some issues when market interest rates fall. "Our goal here is student success," Rivera said while presenting enrollment, staffing and finance slides.

The superintendent listed several older bond issues and remaining balances as part of the historical context presented to the board, and summarized district loans taken for HVAC, vehicles, fencing and roofing. Rivera said the 2017 loan was for $15,000,000 with an outstanding balance shown in the presentation, and noted a 2019 loan for a stadium scoreboard of about $1,300,000 that matures in 2029. He said some earlier bond issues receive state assistance ranging from roughly 40% to 70%.

Rivera asked the board to consider three categories of upcoming capital work: (1) projects on the consent agenda that night (demolition of a pool, Roosevelt Library reroofing, a canopy for activity buses and related allowances for baseball and softball fields and track work at several campuses); (2) bond-election projects planned for spring and summer including synthetic turf for Wildcat Field, band-area turf and track resurfacing; and (3) a longer-range, three-phase planning process to solicit community input, do planning and design, and then consider a future bond.

Board members clarified funding sources during discussion. Trustee Benjamin Castillo asked whether the synthetic turf and band-area projects were paid from fund balance or bond funds; Rivera confirmed those specific turf projects and track resurfacing cited on the presentation were to be paid from the district's fund balance, while other work such as demolition of Central Middle School is a bond-funded project. Castillo and others thanked staff for identifying fund-balance savings used on recent field projects.

Trustees and staff discussed several project details in follow-up. Coaches and trustees raised a geotechnical issue delaying the Mary Hope track resurfacing; staff said soil testing found significant clay and the district is evaluating options, including excavation and replacement or other mitigations, and will present cost options to the superintendent and trustees before proceeding. Staff said Central Middle School's drainage and existing track made that site more ready than some others.

Rivera also told the board the district received a $644,000 cybersecurity grant and that the district had earned a financial transparency award. He said the district plans to use some fund-balance money to purchase modern classroom furniture this summer for elementary campuses and later for secondary schools, and reported that almost 200 teachers were designated under the state Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) this year after receiving none the previous year.

The presentation closed with Rivera's reminder that enrollment trends and possible state policy changes (including vouchers and property-tax relief discussed by trustees) could affect staffing and future budget decisions. He asked the board to participate in the phase-one visioning that will shape whether the district pursues new schools, specialized academies or land acquisition in coming years.

Less critical details: staff recommended engineers and architects for consent items on that night's agenda, and Rivera said the district will refinance bonds and consider state assistance where available.