Manor ISD superintendent outlines listening plan and budget steps after failed 2025 bond
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Summary
After a failed May 2025 bond, Superintendent Dr. Sarmani told trustees the district will launch stakeholder surveys, re-evaluate project timing and bring a recommendation in January about when to return to voters; he cautioned that deferred maintenance and rising costs remain and may force difficult trade-offs.
Superintendent Doctor Sarmani told the Manor Independent School District Board on Nov. 17 that the district will start stakeholder surveys and other outreach to determine why voters rejected the district’s 2025 bond and how future proposals should be shaped.
"Just because a bond election fails doesn't mean the needs went away," Doctor Sarmani said, noting ongoing building and systems problems that are unaffected by the vote. He said administration will solicit staff and community input and aim to present a recommendation to the board by the January meeting on timing and content of a future bond.
Sarmani described specific constraints the district faces: he cited an estimated 4% escalation in construction costs, said the prior bond package was roughly $385,000,000 as presented to the community, and reported that the district estimates about $100,000,000 in deferred maintenance over the next six to eight years. He also said three safety projects identified in the bond package currently lack a funding source.
To free up money for higher-priority deferred maintenance, Sarmani said he will recommend holding $1,300,000 in unspent 2019 bond interest (previously earmarked for athletic items and an amphitheater) and will bring a formal allocation recommendation if trustees agree to repurpose the funds.
Sarmani said staff are also evaluating transportation-route reductions and program consolidations as potential savings and that any operational changes would include advance notice to families. He said the district will try to protect instructional programs but acknowledged staff and service reductions are possible if funding gaps persist.
Trustees thanked staff for their bond work and cautioned the community should expect difficult budget choices. The superintendent said administration will run focused surveys and stakeholder groups over the next six weeks and return with concrete recommendations in January, leaving the final decision about whether to call another election to the board.
The board took no immediate policy action on the bond at the Nov. 17 meeting; trustees emphasized transparency about timing and the limits of district authority to fund capital projects without voter approval.