To better assist the public in making an informed decision, McAllen ISD has created a series of podcasts on the upcoming bond election. These podcasts explain different aspects of the bond in bite-sized chunks.
The second video podcast features McAllen ISD Deputy Superintendent for Business and Operations, Lorena Garcia, who discusses the bond’s financial picture. The bond proposal is for $335 million and will address facility upgrades, program expansions, safety, security and modernizing learning spaces across the district. Early voting runs April 20-28 and the Election Day is May 2.
The district anticipates that the current overall tax rate of $0.93 will remain at $0.93, and that an increase to the overall tax rate to support the bond is not anticipated.
“The tax bill focuses on two variables,” Garcia said. “The first one is, of course, the tax rate and the second one is the appraisal amount of the property. The appraisal amount we don’t have anything to do with that. That’s the Hidalgo County Appraisal Department that handles that. However, we do control the interest (tax) rate. So, by having a zero increase, we make sure that there is cost savings in the future for our taxpayers.”
McAllen ISD’s periodic podcast is called Extra Credit. Each episode features McAllen ISD Marketing and Communications Director Felicia Villarreal as the host with a guest. They discuss topics of interest to the McAllen ISD community.
Typically, there is a tax rate increase whenever a bond is approved but not in this case. Garcia explained why.
“We began this process about four years ago,” Garcia began “The first thing that we put into motion was paying off our existing debt which is (from) our 2005 bond. So, by paying down our bond strategically, this year, 2026, will be the final payment. Having that gives us an increase in our debt capacity … which is how much we can afford while keeping the tax rate at 93 cents. That figure turns out to be 335 (million dollars).”
If the bond is approved by voters, a committee will be formed for greater oversight and transparency.
“This committee will ensure that the bond funds are spent in accordance to the bond proposal,” Garcia said. “They will look at construction timelines. They’ll report to the (School) Board and also have a website where they can publish information for the public.”
The full episode, which is called McAllen ISD Extra Credit: The Bottom Line – Finance, can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p47va8csntw&t=2s.
Other podcasts on the 2026 bond will focus on the vision, infrastructure plans, safety, program improvements and election information. They are available to view on McAllen ISD’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
More information on the bond can be found here: https://www.mcallenisdbond.org/.