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Odessa R‑VII board to put levy and no‑tax‑increase bond back on August ballot after narrow losses
Summary
After two district measures fell short by a few votes in April, the Odessa R‑VII Board discussed cost estimates, outreach failures and approved moving toward new ballot language for an August vote, with a May 26 deadline for finalized language.
The Odessa R‑VII Board of Education on April 14 resolved to pursue returning two failed April measures — a levy increase and a no‑tax‑increase bond for elementary construction — to the August ballot and to prioritize clearer community outreach. Board staff presented the official vote margins and discussed rough cost estimates for needed work.
Operations staff told the board the levy increase received 48.9% support, short of the 50% plus one votes required, and the no‑tax‑increase bond received about 57.04% support against a 57.14% threshold. "It was very close," the director said, noting the measures missed passage by small margins. The director also cited a Tremco estimate of about $2,000,000 to replace a roof in one facility, while cautioning that figure excludes potential change orders and underlying repairs.
A long discussion focused on why voters narrowly rejected the measures and what to change. "We gotta get this back on a ballot to come back, but we gotta do a good job of letting the stakeholders know," a board member said, urging clearer communication about timelines, cost estimates and trade‑offs between repairing and replacing facilities. Trustees discussed sharing focused excerpts of last year’s facility assessment to help voters understand the district’s options and timelines.
Board members highlighted that if the bond passes and the levy fails, district projects could be delayed many years and escalate in cost. One board member urged the administration to provide community‑level estimates — even best guesstimates— so residents can weigh options. Trustees directed staff to prepare ballot language for possible approval next month so it can meet the May 26 filing deadline for the August election.
Next steps: staff will draft ballot language and outreach materials for trustee review at the next meeting; the board indicated an intent to pursue the August ballot but did not finalize an exact package at the April meeting.
