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BISD counters bond arguments with facts
Published October 18, 2009
When Brazosport ISD trustees called a $166 million bond election for Nov. 3, you could almost hear taxpayers scream, “What are they thinking?”
Many people made up their minds to vote against the proposal before they even had heard the details, knowing only that their pocketbooks already are stretched with a rocky economy and lagging job market. Add to that news that Brazosport ISD is losing students, not gaining them, and Brazosport ISD officials surely knew they had a tough sell when it came to this bond election.
For some of the same reasons the timing is wrong for a bond election of that magnitude, though, they say the timing also is exactly right.
For starters, there is the need. The bonds would pay to replace two elementary schools and do major renovation on a third. Those schools have foundation problems and more, which you can read about on today’s front page.
Much has been said about the district’s plans for a natatorium. Some call it a luxury in difficult economic times, but district officials say the current pool at Brazoswood High is as old as the 40-year-old high school. It has leaks and corrosion, and it would cost a lot to repair. Bond task force members thought it more cost-effective to replace it with one that could host regional meets and which might lead to more spending in area hotels, restaurants and shops.
Secondly, if the bonds are approved, low- to no-interest loans available through the federal stimulus package could mean the district saves roughly $18 million in interest over the life of the bonds. Brazosport ISD has been approved for first-round funding but must spend the money soon, and officials have said they are in excellent position to have second-round funding almost a guarantee.
Also, construction costs are lower now, district officials said.
All of that makes conditions favorable for a bond.
Another argument in favor of the bond is the
$10 million included for maintenance is vital to protect the investment taxpayers already have made through previous bond sales. Putting maintenance into voter-approved bonds gives taxpayers more value for their money. If the money for things like buses, air conditioning units and carpet replacement comes from the general fund, it is subject to recapture, which means the state takes roughly 33 percent of it. If it comes out of voter-approved debt, the district keeps it all.
Bond proponents also have an answer to folks who want to know why the district wants to build new schools when student enrollment is down. With districts in the northern and central parts of Brazoria County growing — Alvin ISD is expanding in Manvel, Angleton ISD is building new campuses — this district and this area’s housing market need to compete, some say. Good-looking, high-performing schools are the way to go, they reason.
Those who argue the current state of the economy makes it a bad time for a bond election have a point. District officials have a point, too, though when they say the first impact to the tax rate won’t be felt until 2011, at which time analysts are predicting the economy will have at least begun to turn around.
Brazosport ISD officials said that, knowing what they know about the huge interest savings, the lower-than-normal construction costs, infrastructure problems and the need to draw students to this area, they believe it would be irresponsible not to float a bond issue now.
Let the voters decide for themselves, Brazosport ISD Finance Director Dan Schaefer said, and he’s right.
We urge voters to get as much information as they can about what Brazosport ISD trustees have proposed, then to make the right choice for their families and their communities.
This editorial was written by Yvonne Mintz, managing editor of The Facts.
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LEARN MORE
For information on Brazosport ISD’s bond election, including where to vote, answers to frequently asked questions and more, go to forbisdkids.com.
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