San Angelo ISD to Take 'Hiatus' From Requesting Another Bond

SAN ANGELO, TX — San Angelo ISD Superintendent of Schools promised Tuesday night that the district will take a hiatus from requesting voters approve another bond.

Two San Angelo ISD bond initiatives went down in defeat Tuesday night with over 55 and 57 percent of voters against them respectively.

San Angelo ISD narrowly lost getting a $148.9 million bond passed in May by two votes. The Board of Trustees then decided to split the $148.9 million bond into two parts hoping at least one would pass.

Prop. A, for $111.5 million, was for what the district called safety and security measures, handicap accessibility upgrades, and building the equivalent of four new elementary school campuses.

Prop. B, for $34 million, contained funding for building a larger, modern gym, or multi-purpose center at the San Angelo Central campus.

Superintendent Dr. Carl Dethloff released the following statement following the final election results Tuesday night:

We continue to be respectful of our community’s voice and learn from the many differing viewpoints that make our city strong. We have all learned from recent elections that your vote truly counts and can make an impact on local decisions. Both proposition “A” and proposition “B” on the SAISD bond did not pass. Thank you to everyone who took time to be informed about San Angelo ISD’s bond referendum and who exercised their right to vote in our November election. Although our bond election failed, we remain committed to providing our community’s children a learning experience that is academically robust and builds on the learning attributes necessary for our students to experience success in the modern era. Irrespective of your stance on our recent bond, it is now time to reestablish the unity and support for our school system that makes San Angelo a great place to live and work.

I would like to acknowledge the work of our long-range facilities planning committee for listening to our constituents and redesigning a bond package that truly prioritized and planned for the needs of our students and staff. Their advocacy will translate to a flourishing public education experience for all of our students in the years to come.

Also, I would like to thank our school board for setting the conditions for success in our district and casting the vision to provide facilities that meet the needs of our next generation of learners. Our board’s determined efforts to provide updated facilities for our students does not go unnoticed. Although our facilities continue to age, it is time to pause, take a hiatus on bond elections, and focus on the many wonderful gifts our students bring to us daily in San Angelo.

Carl Dethloff, Superintendent, San Angelo ISD