Alief ISD proposes $19 million 2026 facilities bond sale after $17 million in savings

Vincent Lewis, assistant superintendent for support services, told the Alief ISD board that recent savings from bond-funded projects have reduced the district’s planned bond needs and that staff will recommend a $19,000,000 facilities bond sale for the coming year.

Lewis opened his slide presentation with an overview of completed, in-progress and planned bond-funded maintenance and construction projects. He said the district previously planned a larger facilities sale and that “For this next year, instead of $49,000,000 that was proposed, we are proposing a $19,000,000 sale, and we will utilize savings, from previous projects, as well as the savings that are in the current 20 23, bond.”

The presentation listed recent work across campuses: roof replacements and skylight work at 19 campuses and eight classroom additions; five rooftop HVAC unit replacements and districtwide chiller and boiler upgrades; pavement and parking repairs to improve safety and accessibility; interior floor replacements at four campuses and a gym floor replacement at Miller. Lewis said the roof program’s total project budget was a little over $17,000,000 against a projected $18,000,000, and that one campus (UNS) required expanded roof work because of known leaks.

Lewis also reminded the board that several larger construction projects are funded from prior referenda. He said the Crump Press Box and an Ag Science Center are under way and that the Nest Natatorium is in the final design stage; those projects were funded by savings from earlier referendums, he said.

On district finances, Lewis reported about $8,000,000 in savings from projects this year and roughly $17,000,000 in unassigned savings remaining from the 2023 bond sale. An earlier speaker in the meeting said the district had originally planned a $65,000,000 bond sale for facility assessment projects and that savings already realized had reduced that sale by about $29,000,000.

Board members praised the district’s upkeep, saying the condition of Alief ISD facilities makes it harder to justify closing schools in the future. One committee member urged clearer public messaging so residents understand that bond funds are for facilities and cannot be used for operating expenses such as teacher salaries or insurance. Another member proposed repurposing an available campus as a centralized welcome center to make new-family outreach more welcoming than the annex’s current facilities.

Lewis framed the smaller proposed 2026 facilities sale as a way to use taxpayer-funded savings to meet long-term facility needs while limiting additional debt issuance. The board recessed for lunch and planned to reconvene at 12:10.