BISD Naively Skipping Down Failure Road Again
A Beaumont school district committee again has its sites set on trying to get the voters to accept a steaming pile of unpalatable goo in the form of a a ridiculous $440 million bond issue.
Five years after its last bond issue went down in flames - and only months after the district failed to get a bond issue on the May ballot - BISD now hopes to plop its $440 million bond issue on the November ballot.
In a meeting Monday rife with cracks in the foundation and ancient wounds, the proposal includes $171.9 million for elementary schools, $59.9 million for middle schools, $51.8 million for high schools and $31.3 million for other facilities, such as an athletic complex.
For starters, this comes at a time when appraisal districts are jacking up property appraisals to market value, with lots of double-digit leaps out there this year.
There used to be a time when property owners could protest and at least get some kind of reduction. However, appraisal districts, under state pressure, are standing firm on their assessments, based on what I've seen and experienced personally.
Despite the lowering of school tax rates under the new statewide finance plan, voters might be wary of shouldering a bond payoff while seeing their appraisals soaring.
Secondly, BISD still can't seem to wrap its head around the idea of having a two-part bond issue. Proposition 1 would have all the desperate needs, and Proposition 2 would have all the bells and whistles, such as athletic complexes. The passing of Proposition 2 would nullify Proposition 1.
There are a lot of older voters in the demographic, and those people tend to turn out in force to vote, particularly when a school bond issue threatens to dig into their fixed incomes. They might be sold on the desperate needs but turn out in force to vote down the bells and whistles.
Voters in BISD need a choice. Just giving them a choice might make them more amenable to passing Proposition 2. It also improves the chances of at least ensuring that the desperate needs are addressed.
Lastly, $440 million is just a ridiculous sum, plain and simple. On Sept. 14, 2002, BISD voters crushed a $150 million bond issue by a vote of 8,309 to 5,099. That 62 percent of the vote is a STOMPING.
How in the world does the district think a $440 million bond issue will pass?
I'd love to see BISD have better schools, physically and academically. It makes the community a more desirable place to live. It improves the city's image and its chances to grow and lure more industry.
However, sadly, it just seems headed down the same road to failure as it did in 2002 and earlier this year, underscoring one of the myriad reasons why I packed up the family and moved the hell out of BISD a year ago.
Five years after its last bond issue went down in flames - and only months after the district failed to get a bond issue on the May ballot - BISD now hopes to plop its $440 million bond issue on the November ballot.
In a meeting Monday rife with cracks in the foundation and ancient wounds, the proposal includes $171.9 million for elementary schools, $59.9 million for middle schools, $51.8 million for high schools and $31.3 million for other facilities, such as an athletic complex.
For starters, this comes at a time when appraisal districts are jacking up property appraisals to market value, with lots of double-digit leaps out there this year.
There used to be a time when property owners could protest and at least get some kind of reduction. However, appraisal districts, under state pressure, are standing firm on their assessments, based on what I've seen and experienced personally.
Despite the lowering of school tax rates under the new statewide finance plan, voters might be wary of shouldering a bond payoff while seeing their appraisals soaring.
Secondly, BISD still can't seem to wrap its head around the idea of having a two-part bond issue. Proposition 1 would have all the desperate needs, and Proposition 2 would have all the bells and whistles, such as athletic complexes. The passing of Proposition 2 would nullify Proposition 1.
There are a lot of older voters in the demographic, and those people tend to turn out in force to vote, particularly when a school bond issue threatens to dig into their fixed incomes. They might be sold on the desperate needs but turn out in force to vote down the bells and whistles.
Voters in BISD need a choice. Just giving them a choice might make them more amenable to passing Proposition 2. It also improves the chances of at least ensuring that the desperate needs are addressed.
Lastly, $440 million is just a ridiculous sum, plain and simple. On Sept. 14, 2002, BISD voters crushed a $150 million bond issue by a vote of 8,309 to 5,099. That 62 percent of the vote is a STOMPING.
How in the world does the district think a $440 million bond issue will pass?
I'd love to see BISD have better schools, physically and academically. It makes the community a more desirable place to live. It improves the city's image and its chances to grow and lure more industry.
However, sadly, it just seems headed down the same road to failure as it did in 2002 and earlier this year, underscoring one of the myriad reasons why I packed up the family and moved the hell out of BISD a year ago.
posted by Brian Pearson at 10:31 AM
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