$300M GO bond to build new Carlsbad high school goes to voters in mail-in election

Mike Smith, Carlsbad Current-Argus
·3 min read

Built more than 60 years ago, Carlsbad High School is showing its age and the main building needs replacing, said Carlsbad Municipal Schools Superintendent Dr. Gerry Washburn.

On Feb. 6 he presented the case to build a new high school and remodel Carlsbad Intermediate School, also known as P.R. Leyva, to Eddy County Board of County Commissioners.

Washburn said Carlsbad Schools would conduct a mail-in election for a $300 million general obligation bond later this month and most of March for the proposed projects. He said ballots would be mailed between Feb. 26 and Feb. 28 and must be returned to the Eddy County Clerk’s Office by March 22.

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Carlsbad High School main building outdated for 21st Century

“The first kids walked into that building in 1963,” Washburn said during Tuesday’s meeting.

He said the high school cannot accommodate increased enrollment or meet the expanding need for technical and career education space.

Carlsbad Municipal Schools Superintendent Dr. Gerry Washburn addresses the graduating class of Carlsbad's Early College High School on May 19,2023.
Carlsbad Municipal Schools Superintendent Dr. Gerry Washburn addresses the graduating class of Carlsbad's Early College High School on May 19,2023.

Sarah Bowman, secretary of the Southeast New Mexico College (SENMC) board of trustees, said the college and CMS collaborate on career and technical education to meet Eddy County's workforce needs.

“For example, diesel technology is in demand and it would be best served to have such a program offered in conjunction with the automotive technology program, but additional space would be required,” Bowman said.

She said SENMC was ready to partner with CMS to offer the diesel technology program for dual credit, if building space was available.

“Allowing both CMS and SENMC to meet the economic development needs of the region,” Bowman said.

A new high school, officials said, also creates opportunity for students in other growing industries in the area.

Data from the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions (NMDWS) showed Eddy County had an unemployment rate of 2.4% in December 2023, well below the statewide average of 4%, creating a competitive labor market.

In a December NMDWS report, oil and gas was a large contributor to eastern New Mexico’s economy, employing 13,170 people alongside the mining and quarrying industries. The housing and hospitality industry was also ripe, with data showing occupancy rates between 30% to 80%, and occupancy rates at recreational vehicle parks at 40% to 70%. Occupancy rates at man camps ranged from 66% to 85% in November, 2023, according to a CDOD report.

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$216 million designated for new high school

Washburn said $216 million of the requested bond would be used to build new high school facilities in the parking lot near the cafeteria on the existing complex located at 3000 W. Church St.

“That enables the kids to be kept on the other side (of the campus) while we have that construction going,” he said.

There are 1,450 students enrolled at the school, and Washburn anticipated growth to continue, creating the need for additional facilities.

The new facilities would also bring the campus into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a concern with existing buildings on the campus.

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PR Leyva Intermediate School students protest state mask mandates during school on Feb. 17, 2022.
PR Leyva Intermediate School students protest state mask mandates during school on Feb. 17, 2022.

PR Leyva Middle School to be remodeled

Washburn said $84 million of the bond money would be used to remodel Carlsbad Intermediate School, also known as PR Leyva.

In 2023, Carlsbad voters approved a $90 million general obligation bond for the construction of a new middle school and to fund remodeling of Sunset Elementary.

Washburn said $65 million of that bond money would build a new school to replace Alta Vista Intermediate School.

He said students from Alta Vista would occupy the new school and students from PR Leyva would be housed temporarily in the Alta Vista building while construction takes place at PR Leyva.

Washburn said design work for both the new high school and PR Levya projects would take place sometime in 2025 and construction could start sometime in 2026 if the general obligation bond is approved.

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 School District ask voters to approve $300M GO bond