Workers and district leaders gathered at 6100 Upper Valley Road this week to sign the final steel beam before it was hoisted into place atop the new Canutillo Middle School, marking the structural completion of a $106.7 million campus years in the making. The topping out ceremony celebrated the building's framework reaching full height, a milestone Canutillo Independent School District says keeps the project on schedule and on budget for a 2027 opening.
The new middle school is being funded through the 2024 Canutillo Bond, a $387 million package that, as reported by KFOX14/CBS4, will replace the current Canutillo Middle School campus on Bosque Road, a facility more than four decades old with long-standing infrastructural and instructional shortcomings. The new campus will serve the Upper Valley portion of the district and is designed around collaboration, flexibility and student-centered learning, according to the station's report. Procedeo Group is managing the project, with Banes General Contractors serving as general contractor and DLR Group and Root Architects serving as project architects, per the same account.
Superintendent Dr. Josue Borrego, who took the district's helm in January 2026, framed the moment in broader terms. “This is more than a construction milestone,” Borrego said, according to the station's report, adding that the school represents Canutillo's commitment to giving students a school designed for how they learn today and tomorrow. Canutillo Middle School Principal Andrea Esparza said the new campus is being built in the center of the Upper Valley for the growing Canutillo community, noting that residents will be able to see the new campus rise.
A Bond Years in the Making
The $387 million bond that is funding the new middle school passed by the narrowest of margins in May 2024, with Proposition A receiving 1,042 votes in favor to 1,011 against, according to Canutillo ISD. District officials called the referendum the largest per-capita school bond in El Paso County history.
Getting voters to yes took three tries. Canutillo ISD taxpayers had rejected two earlier bond proposals before the 2024 measure finally succeeded. The bond proposals addressed decades-old campus infrastructure.
The financial pressure behind those repeated attempts was steep. Before the 2024 bond election, nearly 1,800 students living within district boundaries were not attending Canutillo ISD schools, and students were moving to EPISD schools, according to KVIA. The district also faced declining enrollment and funding losses before the bond's approval.
Fiscal Guardrails and a Change in Leadership
The district has also moved to manage its debt actively. In May 2026, Canutillo ISD sold $50 million in new voter-approved bonds and refinanced $22 million in existing debt, securing lower interest rates that saved local taxpayers approximately $1.8 million. The bond sale maintained a Moody's Aa3 rating and received credit enhancement through the Texas Permanent School Fund guarantee.
Dr. Josue Borrego was officially appointed superintendent in January 2026. In 2026, the Board of Trustees adopted a balanced $65.6 million operating budget for the 2026–27 fiscal year, restoring several middle school credit and college-readiness programs that had been cut during earlier budget shortfalls, with district leaders crediting three consecutive years of disciplined spending realignment for the turnaround.
One Project Among Many
Procedeo Group serves as the owner's representative overseeing the broader bond program.
In August 2026, Hoodline reported on a nearly identical milestone at the new $50 million-plus Davenport Elementary campus in the Enchanted Hills area, a 700-student school also targeted for a fall 2027 opening. The bond is not limited to new buildings, either. In September 2025, Canutillo ISD broke ground on $9.5 million in bond-funded security, roofing and HVAC renovations at Canutillo Elementary School alongside security and other renovations at Garcia Elementary School.
