McAllen ISD details 2026 bond outreach and approves election services; officials address voting‑site safety

McAllen ISD officials outlined an intensified outreach effort for the district’s proposed 2026 bond and the board approved the county election contract needed to run the vote.

"We called for a bond election on February 10th," Director of Marketing and Communications Felicia Villarreal told trustees, describing three outreach phases that included presentations, printed collateral, mass communication and community events. Villarreal said the district has delivered 66 presentations to date, direct messaging to 19,537 parents, about 128 social posts, seven podcast episodes and campus‑specific one‑pagers and backpack stuffers.

Several parents raised concerns about using campuses as polling places during early voting and STAR testing. Chief Joey Silva and other district officials responded that officers will be assigned at each voting location, schedules will overlap for coverage, polling areas will be separated from student activity, and polling sites will be placed near parking lots or at front entrances when needed. "There'll never be students and voters intermingling at any point," Chief Silva said.

Trustees then considered contract 2026‑265 with Hidalgo County for election services and voting equipment for the bond election scheduled for May 2, 2026, with early voting April 20–28. The board moved to approve the agreement and voted 5‑0 to authorize the contract.

Villarreal and trustees also discussed post‑vote transparency: she said the communications team will provide timeline updates, campus‑level one‑pagers and voting‑location information on the bond website. Administration also discussed planning for a citizens bond oversight committee should voters approve the measure, saying such a committee would include parents, community members and staff to monitor implementation, budgets and timelines.

The contract approval was a formal action; the outreach briefing was informational.