A deep dive into PSJA ISD’s upcoming $60M bond election
PSJA ISD has a $60 million bond election (two propositions, A and B) on the ballot that promises improvements to the district while cutting the tax rate.
Of the $60 million, the state will pay half.
It’s one of those no-brainers, some people are saying.
The district’s infrastructure gets needed improvements, while property owners pay less in property taxes if the two props pass this election day, Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Early voting is ongoing this week and next.
Proposition A ($54.3 million) will fund:
· Replacement of aging HVAC systems
· Roof repairs and replacements
· Parking lot improvements
· Renovations of district facilities, including the athletics dome
Proposition B ($5.7 million) will fund renovations to performing arts facilities.
To dig a little deeper into the two propositions, PSJA ISD Superintendent Dr. Alejandro Elias (EdD) sat down last week to discuss with The Advance the issue at hand.
Advance News Journal (ANJ): First question: PSJA ISD has done a needs assessment with regard to how the $54.3 million will be spent if voters approve Proposition A?
Dr. Elias: “Proposition A is to address facilities that are in need of repairs or remodeling here in the district, and we did do a needs assessment on our facilities, and that’s what we’re basing (the $54.3 million) on.
“And already, we have specified which locations, which campuses or facilities would be getting repaired.
“That info is on the district’s website.”
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ANJ: Without the bond getting passed, the district currently does not have the money to support the needed renovations and improvements?
Dr. Elias: “Correct.”
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ANJ: This is a proposition that says, that for every dollar the school promises in the form of a bond passage, the state is going to match it? What is the ratio?
Elias: “Yes. Right now, we’re looking at a 50-percent ratio. So out of the $60 million, PSJA ISD will incur a $30 million debt, and the other $30 million will be given to us by the state.”
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ANJ: The district has said that the tax rate will go down if the propositions are passed by the voters.
How does the math work on that one? Because it’s counterintuitive, right? If you pass a bond, you expect property taxes to go up to pay for them, but you’re saying the tax load on property owners in PSJA will go down.
Dr. Elias: “It’s going to go down because the previous bond was for $108 million, but we paid that out.
“So now we’re actually going for a lower bond, and because we’re going for a lower bond, we can manage to lower our taxes by another half a cent because the payment will be less.”
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ANJ: If you’re talking about lowering the tax rate, people will be happy.
Dr. Elias: “For the time I’ve been here (starting in late 2022) , we’ve managed to lower our tax rate every year.
“The property tax already decreased when the board passed a resolution on Sept. 22nd (2025).
“We adopted a lower tax rate because we ended up paying off the previous bond from, I want to say it was 2010. And that one was a bigger bond, so we ended up paying that one off. So we managed to lower our tax rate as a district.
“The resolution passed Sept. 22. It was a six-to-one vote, with one board member (Cynthia Gutierrez) voting against lowering the tax rate, or to pass that resolution to lower the tax rate as a district.”
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ANJ: Let’s talk about the Osodome (athletic dome) and the Fine Arts Dome. The PSJA High School opened in 1960, after moving from the old one on Bus. 83, which means both domes are 65 years old. Meaning, they retain so much history.
Dr. Elias: “During the time that Dr. King was here (2007 to 2019), he proposed remodeling both of them. And that’s the reason both of them received the roofing. They were part of a roofing remodel for that area.
“So that got done, but then after he left, that’s when the whole project was put on hold.”
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ANJ: So if the bond proposition gets passed, when do you think work on the two domes will start? There are a lot of variables built into any timeline, but just in general?
Dr. Elias: “In general, the fine arts dome, bond or no bond, that building is going to get remodeled. So we’re already in the process of remodeling it. So for that, the board approved $5.7 million. That’s how much it’s going to cost us to remodel it. The engineers are involved, everybody’s involved.
“We’ve already started gutting the place, and they’re already actually on their way to remodeling it. So if the bond doesn’t pass in November, that auditorium is still going to get remodeled.
“The Osodome, however, is contingent on the passage of the bond.”
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ANJ: Once again, the reason for two propositions as opposed to just one?
Dr. Elias: “The reason that we have Proposition A and Proposition B is because anything that pertains to athletics or fine arts has to be disclosed separately because of the seating.
“The state says that if you have seating for more than a thousand (people), then you have to put it in a separate proposition.
“And then if people ask, ‘Well, why not the athletic Osodome?’
“Well, because the seating capacity is 800, and the auditorium is 1,200 seating capacity. So it had to be a separate proposition because of that.”
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For polling locations, project details, and additional information, visit the official bond website www.psjaisd.us/2025bond or contact PSJA ISD at (956) 354‑2018.