04/26/2023
Beware of bond election misinformation
Remember when you go to the polls to cast your ballot in the May 6 LISD bond election that there is a dangerous amount of misinformation floating around. Some of it comes from a lack of knowledge and some of it is purposely shared to poison the issue. Either way, it is important to vote with the facts in hand. Here are some of the most common unfounded accusations and complaints still being spread as we get close to election day:
• This bond package was put on the ballot without community input.
The Citizens Facility Advisory Committee was established and recruited to bring more than 200 volunteers from the community into the planning process and met regularly for nearly nine months. The school board then heard the committee’s recommendations and discussed its own opinions on a bond election in multiple public meetings before calling the election.
• Passing the bonds will raise the tax rate.
It has been verified that the tax rate next year will not increase based on the approval of additional bond debt. Yes, passing these bonds means additional debt to be paid by area taxpayers over time. That concept is no different than when we purchase cars, homes and do home improvements taking on more personal debt. School districts can’t grow without taking on debt. Based on previous efforts to pay down debt, growth projections and increasing property values the tax rate will not need to increase and that’s all the school district can control. The LISD tax rate has gone down five consecutive years and will go down again next summer.
• There are other ways to fund these projects.
There is no other way to fund projects this large. Fundraising won’t do it and school districts have no ability to save money to fund future projects like a homeowner would if saving for a new roof. A bond election, which is called by well over 100 school districts in Texas each year, is the mechanism provided by the state for school districts to manage new facilities, large expenses, and the most expensive maintenance projects.
• The price estimates for proposed bond projects are way off.
Prices for projects are estimated based on average cost per square foot for similar projects and are generally in line with actual costs. You can’t compare the cost of a backyard playscape someone can buy at the local hardware store to the cost of playground equipment and installation for a school district. No project is funded or contracted without board and district oversite including a bid process that is open to the public.
• These funds will be diverted to other areas if the bond passes.
It is illegal for school districts to sell bonds and spend those funds on any type of operational expenses, including pay raises. Even on the facilities side, bond funds can only be used for alternate construction projects not specified in a bond proposal if all projects in the proposal have been funded and the new project is paid for with savings from the approved projects. At no time has Leander ISD taken funds approved for school buildings and used them for a football stadium as has been suggested publicly.
• All Leander ISD does is add new administrators.
This is unrelated to the bond election but is something those fighting against it like to use as a distraction as they claim the district spends too much on administration and not enough on teachers and students. Remember, there is no connection between administrative costs and bond projects, those are different pots of money. But even when focusing on the claim that Leander ISD spends too much on administration, there is no data to back that up. The reality is, according to data collected and published by the Texas Education Agency, in a comparison to eight other similar-sized or situated districts across the state, Leander ISD spends a smaller percentage of its budget on administration than five of them. Leander ISD spends 2.29 percent on administration. Every school on the list spends between 2.14 percent and 3.39 percent on administration. Only two of those same districts spend a higher percentage of their budget on instruction and all seven other school districts have a higher total revenue per student than Leander ISD. Complaints about a lack of fiscal responsibility really don’t hold water.
• The district has lied about bond expenditures in the past.
All bond projects can be followed from approval by voters to final completion through financial information published by the school district. The district’s bond oversight committee follows projects as they are completed, and all expenditures must be approved by the board.
• The district has proven itself to be financially irresponsible in the past.
Leander ISD has an AA Bond rating, and each year the district must have an independent financial audit. The last audit was presented in November with an unmodified, “clean” opinion. Having differing opinions on what funds should be spent on is very different than district officials acting in bad faith or irresponsibly. Make sure that distinction is clear.
• The demographics used to justify these bonds are inaccurate.
There is a demographics report for each year posted on the district website. These reports can be checked and compared for their general reliability and accuracy. They are extensive and while not exact, very reliable in future planning.
• The district doesn’t need these projects listed in the bond package.
Those who say the district doesn’t need these projects – or claim they are too costly – don’t work in our schools every day. They don’t do the planning, educating, or administering of our expansive public school district. They don’t have a fraction of the knowledge of education and what it takes to provide a quality education that our district professionals have. So, you can believe the people who have other jobs and whose knowledge of these issues generally ends with their own child’s circumstances and how they “think it should be”, or the education professionals employed by the district who deal with facilities, buses, attendance zones, school finance rules, devices for students, old HVAC systems and more every single day.
In the end, if you choose not to believe the professionals you should have evidence of a very good reason. No one has shown evidence of any wrongdoing or lack of knowledge within Leander ISD. The only thing anyone has truly demonstrated is that they disagree with approving bonds to spend on our district. They have not proven a single shady accusation, rumor, or assumption. You must ask yourself, what’s their angle if there is no evidence shared to support their accusations. Maybe they’re just looking for reasons to not support our public schools.
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