Houston ISD voters appeared poised to reject a $4.4 billion school bond package on Tuesday, a potential victory for opponents of state-appointed leadership in the district and a setback for the district’s years-long push to develop campuses.
The measure was delayed by a wide margin after the Harris County Clerk’s Office released early voting results. Historically, early voting totals have made up a majority of all votes cast in a district.
The bond package — which promised to rebuild or significantly renovate nearly three dozen schools, improve campus security, modernize the schools’ heating and cooling systems and expand preschool offerings, among other changes — was the largest proposed school bond in Texas history. If that fails, the vote would mark the first time voters in a Texas school district have voted on bonds worth $1 billion or more in at least two decades.
The vote came a year and a half after the state’s controversial takeover of HISD in June 2023, in which the Texas Education Agency appointed a new superintendent, Mike Miles, and the school board. Since then, Miles has radically overhauled the district, turning HISD into one of the largest educational experiments in the country.
The bond vote received additional attention because it represented the first opportunity for community members to vote on an issue that would meaningfully impact district operations since Miles’ appointment. Many voters saw this as a referendum on Miles’ leadership, with his critics rallying behind the slogan “No trust, no support.”
Steve McHenry, 76, who cast his vote at a polling station in Houston’s Frenchtown neighborhood, said he was voting against the school package because of problems with district leadership. He said all of his children attended HISD schools but are now adults.
“I don’t like the superintendent and I don’t like the state running HISD,” McHenry said.
In an interview Tuesday afternoon with the Houston Landing before the vote results were published, Miles said he was “optimistic” and expected the bond to pass. But he acknowledged the possibility of defeat, using a recent visit to Bonham Elementary School on the district’s southwest side to describe what such an outcome could mean for children.
“They have 1,100 kids, half of them in trailers, 40 years old, and the wood is rotting. I don’t know how anyone could go into that school and look kids in the eyes and say, ‘Hey, you’re going to have to wait longer (for upgrades),” Miles said. “I wonder if people can go out there and actually say that.”
Large Texas districts typically pass bonds about every five years to update campus facilities, but 2012 was the last time HISD had a successful bond election. In that time, the district has deferred nearly $10 billion in needed maintenance and repairs, HISD officials said during several bond meetings. The $4.4 billion total represents HISD’s most pressing needs for safe and healthy learning conditions, they said.
If the early results hold, the district will have to pay some maintenance costs from its general fund, leaving less money to cover other operating expenses such as employee salaries.
Since HISD typically holds bond elections during November of even-numbered years, the district may be at least two years away from another bond vote. If leaders choose to wait until the state returns power to a locally elected school board, the timeline would likely extend to the 2028 election.
Asher Lehrer-Small covers Houston ISD for a touchdown. Look for it @by_ash_ls On Instagram and @small_asher On X, or access it directly on asher@houstonlanding.org.
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