Voters in the Moriarty-Edgewood School District approved a $20 million general obligation bond and two mill levies Tuesday night, enabling the district to move forward with planned facility upgrades across its seven schools.
The measures, which appeared on ballots in the Nov. 4 local election, will maintain current tax rates without increasing property taxes for residents, according to district officials.
“This election is for the continuation of the mill levies that have been in place for many years,” district officials said in materials distributed to voters before the election. “This is not a tax rate increase.”
The bond will fund facility improvements for five years, including security enhancements, playground upgrades, water system improvements and HVAC replacements at several schools.
Among the planned projects is the replacement of evaporative coolers with refrigerated air systems at Edgewood Middle School and the multipurpose rooms at South Mountain and Moriarty elementary schools. The bond also covers technology hardware updates, educational software, parking lot repairs and facility refurbishments.
The capital improvements will benefit both the Moriarty-Edgewood School District and Estancia Valley Classical Academy.
District officials noted that bond funds can only be used for designated improvements and cannot be allocated for salary increases, as required by law.
Recent bond-funded projects include the Route 66 Elementary playground, a multisports complex, security cameras and HVAC systems.
Any registered voter who resides in the school district was eligible to vote, regardless of property ownership. The district serves approximately 2,346 students across schools in Torrance, Santa Fe and Bernalillo counties.
Questions about the bond can be directed to MESDBond@mesd.us.
