QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
FEBRUARY 4, 2014 SCHOOL BOND ELECTION &
THREE-MILL CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS LEVY
1. If passed, how will the monies from the bond issue be spent?
Virtually, every LCPS school will benefit from the bond issue. More specifically, bonds will pay
for increased student safety, including additional alarms and security cameras and relocating front
entrances at several elementary schools so they have line-of-sight with the schools’ front
entrances; baseball and soccer complexes at the Field of Dreams and Oñate High School football
lockers; new and remodeled multipurpose rooms and kitchens; roofs, storage and heating and
cooling repairs at four schools; new school furniture, energy saving electrical upgrades and
technology upgrades at 11 schools; compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act; creating
a charter school campus at Court Youth Center for Alma d’arte Charter High School, J. Paul
Taylor Academy and the Mesilla Valley Youth Foundation; landscaping, irrigation and
playground equipment at 11 schools; and land acquisition for the construction of future schools.
Americans With Disabilities Act compliance
BT Washington, Central, Cesar Chavez, Conlee, Fairacres,
Hermosa Heights, Vista, Zia and district-wide
$
240,000
Athletics facilities
Field of Dreams: one additional baseball field and soccer complex;
Oñate High School football lockers
$ 3,060,000
Charter schools campus (Court Youth Center)
Alma d’arte Charter High School, J. Paul Taylor Academy and
Mesilla Valley Youth Foundation
$ 4,000,000
Classroom renovations & nursing center upgrade
$31,000,000
Las Cruces High Phase II ($24 million), Alameda Elementary nurse area,
Sierra Middle School gym and remodeled music classrooms
Energy savings and technology issues
Energy savings: 11 schools; technology updates: all schools
$ 1,500,000
Land acquisition (for future schools)
$ 4,000,000
Landscaping, irrigation and playgrounds
11 schools
$ 1,900,000
New multipurpose rooms and kitchens
Multipurpose room: Hermosa Heights Elementary;
Kitchen remodels: Sunrise Elementary, Mayfield High School
$ 5,540,000
Roofs*, heating and cooling*, and storage
Roofs: Doña Ana, Mesilla elementaries;
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning: Lynn Middle School
Storage: Central Elementary
$ 2,120,000
Student Safety Upgrades (alarms, cameras, card access)
Fire alarms and/or intercoms: Columbia, Conlee, MacArthur,
Mesilla, Mesilla Park elementaries; White Sands Schools;
Lynn, Vista middle schools; Oñate High School; Professional
Development Center, main administration building
Security swipe-card access: All schools currently without it;
Security cameras: All schools currently without cameras;
$ 2,905,000
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Student Safety Measures
$ 1,735,000
Security fences/gates: Alameda, Hermosa Heights, Valley View
elementaries; Camino Real, Lynn, Mesa, Sierra, Vista, Zia middle schools
Infrastructure (furniture, electrical upgrades, contingency)
$ 7,000,000
All schools, including a district-wide wireless network upgrade
TOTAL
$65,000,000
*potentially eligible for state Public School Capital Outlay Council match.
2. If passed, how will funds from the three-mill capital improvements levy be spent?
The three-mill levy will generate about $9.2 million per year for school maintenance to protect
the investment made by voters. Funds are used for major repairs and maintenance for all LCPS
schools. The levy also pays for technology, playground improvements, classroom furnishings,
musical instruments, school equipment, asbestos removal and many other repairs.
In addition, as a result of a change in state law, about $200,000 of the capital improvements
levy will be allocated to three Las Cruces charter schools: Las Montañas Charter High School, La
Academia Dolores Huerta Charter Middle School and New America School. The amount of
funds for the charter schools will be based on their student enrollment.
3. How will the bond issue address safety issues at LCPS schools?
The safety of our students and staff remains the school district’s top priority. Children in Las
Cruces continue to be safer in their schools than anywhere else. Bond funds will increase security
and all schools. Fire alarm and intercom installation and upgrades will take place at nine schools.
Security swipe-card access will be added at all schools that don’t currently have it. Security
cameras will be installed at all schools that don’t currently have them. Additional security fences
and gates will be added at nine schools.
4. Will the passage of this bond issue and mill levy raise my taxes?
No. Passage of the bond issue and mill levy will not increase the school tax rate. The bond and
mill levy are deliberately structured so that the school tax rate will remain at $9.81 per $1,000 of
taxable value. Taxable value is one-third of the assessed value of a person's property. Therefore,
a Las Cruces homeowner with home valued at $150,000 pays approximately $491 per year or
$40.87 per month.
$150,000 (assessed value) divided by 1/3 = $50,000 (taxable value)
50 x $9.81 = $491 per year/$40.87 per month
5. How is it possible to pass a $65 million bond issue and not have a tax increase?
Reduced principal and interest payments on previously issued bonds will permit new bonds to be
sold without any increase in taxes. In other words, as old bonds are retired, new bonds are sold.
Although the district’s current needs exceed $65 million, in order to avoid a tax increase, the
bond issue total was limited to the amount on the election ballot.
6. Can money raised from the bond issue and mill levy be used for salaries?
No. In New Mexico, monies from bond issues and mill levies must only be used for building,
remodeling, furnishing schools and other related improvements.
7. If the bond passes, which project will be done first?
The $65 million in bonds must be sold over a four-year period; therefore, total funds are not
available all at once. Based on most urgent need first, the LCPS Board of Education and
administration will determine the order in which funded projects will be undertaken. Funds from
the mill levy also are available to the school district over a five-year period and the most
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immediate needs will be addressed first, or in accordance with the district's facilities maintenance
plan.
8. Are there any funds in the bond for anything other than schools?
The only funds in the 2014 bond that are not specifically earmarked for a school are a portion of
the technology funds and the baseball and soccer complexes at the Field of Dreams. However,
these projects do benefit students and teachers. The technology funds are necessary to support
the infrastructure, which directly impacts all schools. The athletic facilities are extensions of the
classroom and will benefit children from many schools and from throughout the community.
9. Why must we have both a bond and a three-mill levy election?
The school district relies on both a bond issue and mill levy to fund capital outlay needs
districtwide. In New Mexico, one of the few ways to build schools is through bond issues.
Funding appropriated by the New Mexico Legislature is used for the day-to-day operation of the
district, including salaries, textbooks, utilities, supplies, transportation, etc. The $65 million bond
issue would pay for critical classroom needs.
In 1976, the state allowed districts to acquire additional funds through local mill levies to
erect, maintain, repair and renovate schools. And, districts where voters approve the levies also
receive additional state funds. The current three-mill capital improvements levy will expire if it is
not renewed by voters.
By having both a bond issue and a mill levy in place, LCPS is eligible to apply for additional
state funding from the Public School Capital Outlay Council. The additional funding is a match
from the state and has been granted to LCPS for a multitude of construction projects. Millions of
additional dollars from the state have assisted with making the local taxpayers’ dollar go even
further.
10. How will our schools and students be affected if the 2014 bond issue and three-mill
capital improvements levy are not passed?
If the bond issue and two-mill levy fail:
1. schools would not have funding for additional student and staff safety
2. schools would continue to operate with aging heating and cooling systems
3. repairs to school roofs would not be made
4. repairs to and remodeling of older schools would not be made in a timely manner
5. the district would suffer a considerable loss in revenue for maintenance and emergency
repairs
6. the district would not be eligible for additional Public School Capital Outlay Council
funds, a potential loss of millions of dollars.
11. Will this bond issue address all of the building needs of the district?
No. The list of district needs far exceeds what the bond issue will cover. However, to keep
school property taxes at their current level (no tax rate increase), the $65 million figure and list of
school projects for the 2014 bond was established by a citizens' committee who reviewed all of
the schools' requests for capital improvements. Future bond and mill levy elections will be needed
to continue to improve district facilities.
12. If the bond issue fails, will taxes be lower?
If the election fails, property taxes would gradually decrease over a period of time. However,
even though taxes would drop, it could be short-lived. There are other government entities in
Doña Ana County that have the ability to levy property taxes and assume unused taxing authority.
Even though the school district levy would be reduced, other entities could, in its place, increase
their tax levies. Some government agencies have the authority to do so without voter approval.
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13. Who is responsible for paying the taxes to build schools?
All taxpayers in the Las Cruces Public Schools district assume the responsibility of building
schools. Property taxes are the source of funds for school construction. However, voters who do
not own property also are “taxed.” Homeowners, renters, businesses and consumers all pay
property taxes whether it is through home or business ownership or indirect costs.
14. Are the amounts on the bond list final figures?
The amounts on the bond list are estimates. In the past, some projects have cost less than the
amounts on the bond list, so remaining funds from those projects are re-allocated to other capital
improvement needs. Remodeling and renovating projects may also exceed the amounts listed
because of unexpected issues and unforeseen costs such as asbestos removal and increased costs
for labor and/or materials. When this happens, funds from the mill levy supplement bond funds to
complete the project.
15. How will funds from the 2014 bond be spent on Las Cruces High School renovation?
If the bond passes, $24 million will go to continue the major renovations at Las Cruces High
School, the city’s oldest high school, which was built in 1955. The funds will pay for phase II of
the project: construction of additional classrooms, a theatre, renovated classrooms, a new kitchen
and cafeteria, and an auxiliary gymnasium.
16. If the election fails, what happens to the Las Cruces High School project?
Funds are available to complete Phase I of the project (funded from a 2010 bond issue), which
includes a new administration area, new academic classrooms, a bridge over El Paseo connecting
to the new portion of the campus, and parking lots. However, Phase II would not be funded,
which includes additional classrooms, renovations to older classrooms, and an auxiliary
gymnasium.
17. How were funds from the 2010 bond issue spent?
1. Major renovation projects that are still ongoing at Las Cruces High School and Loma Heights
Elementary School;
2. Major renovation projects completed at Mayfield High School, Picacho Middle School and
University Hills Elementary School;
3. Completion of Centennial High School;
4. Heating and cooling and re-roofing projects at eight schools;
5. New safety systems and technology and electrical upgrades at 15 schools; some technology
and electrical upgrades were district-wide;
6. Nursing area and restroom remodeling at eight schools;
7. Kitchen remodeling at two schools;
8. Outdoor improvements (including fencing, drop-off lanes, outdoor lighting and landscaping) at
21 schools;
9. Construction of a new baseball complex at the Field of Dreams;
10. New tennis courts at Oñate and Mayfield high schools and outdoor bleachers at Mesa Middle
School;
11. Shade structures and play equipment at a dozen or more schools;
12. Construction contingency and land acquisition.
18. Who can vote? When do I register? When do I vote?
Any registered voter in the Las Cruces Public Schools district is eligible to vote. Students who
turn 18 years old by February 4, 2014 also are eligible to vote in the election, as long as they are
registered. Early and absentee voting begins Friday, January 10 and end Friday, January 31, 2014.
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For information on voting precincts and where to vote, call the Doña Ana County Bureau of
Elections at 575.647.7428. For details about the election, call 527.5811.
19. How can someone make donations to the 2014 Bond Campaign?
They can send checks to:
2014 Blue Ribbon Bond Committee
c/o LCPS Foundation
P.O. Box 16214
Las Cruces, NM 88004
The 2014 Blue Ribbon Bond Committee is comprised of 42 community members who are
organized to support the election. Funds donated to this committee are private donations and are
not deposited with the school district.