El Paso ISD creates Citizens Bond Steering Committee to guide bond planning; trustees approve charter 6–0

The El Paso ISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Feb. 24 to approve the formation of a Citizens Bond Steering Committee (CBSC) and an associated charter to assess districtwide capital improvement needs and advise on a bond package over one year.

Trustee Cuellar moved that the board “approve the formation of a Citizens Bond Steering Committee, CBSC, and the associated charter as presented to assess district wide capital improvement needs and provide input for the bond package development process over 1 year.” Trustee Kahl seconded the motion; the board recorded the motion as carrying 6–0.

During a presentation, Mr. Bates, the district presenter, described a CBSC structure in which the superintendent (as described in the presentation) appoints a committee chair, each trustee selects one committee member and trustees also appoint one person to each subcommittee. Subcommittees named in the presentation include facilities and capital renewal, safety and security, technology, finance, student experience, and athletics. Mr. Bates said he would appoint subcommittee chairs (for example, finance would be chaired by the CFO) and that some at-large members (such as a teachers’ union president) would be included.

Mr. Bates described a citizen-driven "table voting" process for compiling a bond package. He said committees present wants and needs, and attendees at mixed-topic tables vote among options (for example, option A/B/C). "There'll be 10 different tables," he said, "and that's where we'll mix up the committees...There'll be 1 person at the table with a laptop, and we will go through options...That table would then vote. All the tables would vote. Once you get a majority of the tables that lock in a vote a, b, or c, then it populates on the screen. As it populates on the screen, so does the dollar amount. For every single committee's presentation, that dollar amount pops up on the screen, and generates the overall dollar amount, and it also generates the impact to the taxpayer." He added that committee chairs appointed by the district serve as facilitators and do not cast citizen votes at the tables.

Mr. Bates also provided a schedule: initial presentations beginning in March (finance and some "low-hanging" items such as safety and athletics), further presentations in April and May, a citizen steering committee vote in June, a board workshop in June to review recommendations, packaging through July, two presentations in August, and the option to pursue a November bond election if the board decides to move forward. He asked trustees to submit names for committee appointments by close of business next Friday; a trustee and Mr. Bates referenced March 6 during the deadline discussion.

Trustees asked procedural questions about meeting cadence, who sets subcommittee schedules, how dollar amounts are produced and selected, and the role of executive members. Mr. Bates said meeting cadence is set by each subcommittee chair and that his facilities subcommittee would meet biweekly. He used an example from Dallas to illustrate how data-driven options can alter the number of replacement schools proposed.

The board expressed appreciation for a community-driven process that aims to gather broad input and reduce the burden on trustees. With a second from Trustee Kahl, Trustee Cuellar’s motion to form the CBSC and adopt the charter passed 6–0.

Next steps: trustees are to submit committee nominee names by the stated deadline; staff will convene the CBSC subcommittees and schedule presentations beginning in March and present recommendations to the board in June.