Carlsbad school district makes last minute pitch to pass $300M GO bond
Substantial students population growth and concerns about outdated High School facilities have Carlsbad Municipal Schools (CMS) officials asking citizens to say yes to a $300 million bond issue.
Dr. Gerry Washburn, superintendent of Carlsbad Municipal Schools, shared data at two community presentations which showed an anticipated student enrollment growth over the next three years ― growth likely driven by a fossil fuels industry boom in Carlsbad and Eddy County. The success of the same industry, said Ward 3 Carlsbad City Councilor Karla Niemeier, provided opportunity to seek the bond and place students in well paying jobs.
Washburn said $216 million of the General Obligation funds, if approved by voters, would be designated for construction of new facilities on the high school campus located at 3000 W. Church St. Washburn said $84 million would be used to rebuilding and renovate P.R. Leyva as the middle school is at capacity with 838 students.
Carlsbad High School was built in 1962, said Washburn. Students were moved there from the previous high school facility built in 1937, which now houses Carlsbad Intermediate School on the P.R. Leyva Campus.
Increased student population predicted for Carlsbad school district
Two years before the current Carlsbad High School was built, the community had a population of 25,541, according to the 1960 United States census. Sixty years later Carlsbad’s population grew to 32,238 people, according to the 2020 Census data.
Population growth in the area led to increased student enrollment district wide ― 7,148 students are now enrolled from Kindergarten through twelfth grade. According to district data, 1,584 students are enrolled at Carlsbad High School as of March 1. The Freshman class has 443 students and the sophomore class has 457 students. Junior enrollment at Carlsbad High School is 365 students and senior enrollment was 319 students.
“It really wouldn’t surprise us to see our enrollment around 8,000 in a year and a half, and close to 8,500 in 2027,” Washburn said.
Washburn said the high school suffers from other challenges; Carlsbad High School is not compliant with the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal requirement of public buildings to meet equitable access for people with disabilities.
He emphasized the district's desire to expand its career technical facilities, and the need for classrooms that can accommodate new technology.
More: Eddy County prepares for $500M industrial revenue bonds for new natural gas plant
Community leaders support bond issue
Kevin Beardmore, president of Southeast New Mexico College (SENMC), said he was excited about the bond issue as the college and Carlsbad Municipal Schools work together on several projects including the Carlsbad Early College High School and dual credit courses.
“We also have an automotive technology program which is based at Carlsbad High School. We are working with them on their new pathway initiatives in teacher education and public safety, and we are working on improving transportation options between Carlsbad High School and SENMC to make classes accessible to even more students,” Beardmore said.
Beardmore said expanded dual credit in career and technical education would be available once the Trades and Technologies (T2) building is complete. Planning for the T2 facility is complete, and SENMC would work toward construction bid with a completion date sometime in 2025.
“T2 is on the list of state higher education projects that will be voted on this November. If it passes, we will have $5 million in funding that will go toward the overall price tag of $40 million that is currently estimated,” Beardmore said.
He said SENMC received $600,000 during the 2024 New Mexico Legislative session to support design and construction.
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Ballot return date coming soon
Mail-in ballots for the General Obligation Bond question were mailed between Feb. 26 and Feb. 29. Eddy County Clerk Cara Cooke said of the nearly 20,000 ballots mailed, just over 2,600 had been returned as of March 14.
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Some ballots, Cooke said, lacked voter signatures and the required last four digits of a Social Security Number.
“We have called or mailed letters to have the voter come in to correct the issue so their ballot will be counted,” Cooke said.
Washburn said ballots can be brought to the County Clerk’s office by 7 p.m. March 22. If someone chooses to mail a ballot, it must be postmarked by March 22.
Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Carlsbad schools say $300M GO bond needed for high school improvements
