Earnest Angelo and Mike Cannon, both former mayors of Midland, have expressed their concerns about the bond proposal put forth by Midland schools. Midland residents will have the opportunity to vote on the bond in less than two weeks.
According to an article from CBS7 News, former mayors Angelo and Cannon both have issues with the bond that Midland Independent School District is proposing. Angelo stated: “To me the problem is more of the performance of the school rather than the age of the buildings. When you have less than 40% of the students performing at grade level, you’ve got a problem that needs to be fixed. And new buildings won’t fix it.” Renovations and new buildings make up a significant part of the bond proposal.
The CBS7 News article also included comments from former mayor Cannon, who expressed concern towards the idea of MISD using Ranchland Hills Golf Course land for their projects; “They can go buy other land, they can go buy other types of things to keep them from taking away Ranchland Hills away from our community.” Cannon notes that this is concerning to those Midland residents who use Ranchland Hills and would not be able to join a country club in the land’s absence.
According to the MISD website, the bond proposal includes two new high schools, improvements to middle schools and aging facilities, a new elementary school, and funding for more safety and security measures. The website also states that Midlanders could see a decrease in taxes: “If the district maintains an overall tax rate of $0.9148, taxpayers might see a slight reduction in overall taxes due to the increase in the homestead exemption slated for the upcoming ballot.”
With the bond proposal up for a vote, the concerns raised by former mayors Angelo and Cannon add to the ongoing discussion surrounding the future of Midland schools. The decision will ultimately rest in the hands of Midland residents as they cast their votes in the upcoming weeks.