The Questa School Board held a public meeting on Sept. 17 to discuss a General Obligation (GO) bond that will be on the ballot in the upcoming general election. The purpose of the meeting was to inform the public about the bond and the current status of Questa Independent School District’s (QISD) buildings in order to inform their vote in November.
In New Mexico, a school district can receive money for a project, like building a new school, by asking voters to approve a GO bond. If voters say yes, they are giving the school district permission to borrow money. This loan is paid back over time using a small increase in property taxes. The amount of that increase depends on the amount of the projected building costs, something that has to be determined. The bond’s funding will be used to either build a new school or to renovate existing school buildings. At the meeting on Sept. 17, the public and school board discussed the costs for both options as well as some of the details in the newly completed 5-year master plan for the district. It was noted that due to the large size of the current schools, which is nearly double the square footage needed for current enrollment, the cost of a new building would be similar to the cost of a full renovation.
A recent survey conducted at the end of the 2024-25 school year found that 48 families were in favor of a new campus, 37 were in favor of a remodel, and seven had no preference. Additionally, the district’s current infrastructure is in need of significant repair, with both the high school and elementary school requiring new heating and cooling systems and the Alta Vista needing a new roof. Due to their age and condition, the Alta Vista and Questa high school buildings rank among the worst in the state, according to school board members. The high school is ranked at No. 10 and Alta Vista is ranked at No. 11, placing both in the bottom 25 percent of school buildings statewide.
Currently, the cost to build or remodel a school is split between the school district and the state. Recently, a new law was passed that makes the state pay a larger portion of these costs, increasing their share from 10% to 37%. There’s a sense of urgency to act quickly because there’s a good chance the state’s share will go back down to just 10% soon in the next election.
The Questa School Board will schedule two or three more public meetings to ensure the community is fully informed before the November vote. The next meeting will be held on Oct. 1 at 6 p.m. at the Questa School Board Room and future meetings will be scheduled soon. The school board encourages all community members to attend to learn more about the bond in order to make an informed decision on election day.
