Split decision: Voters approve prop for facilities, deny prop for technology
By Brandon Evans | Published Sunday, November 8, 2009
Bridgeport ISD superintendent Eddie Bland described Tuesday's bond election results as a "glass half full." The district presented voters with two bond propositions. One passed.
The first bond proposition totaled $15 million for facilities. Proposition 1 passed 649-601, a 3.8 percent margin of victory.
Proposition 2 totaled $7 million for technology upgrades to the district. The proposition failed 689-562, a 10 percent margin of failure.
Prop 2 was to establish a one-to-one ratio of laptops to students in grades six through 12 and install additional computer labs for the lower grades. Any extra funds would have been used for transportation.
"I'm not sure we did a good job of getting out the importance of the technology," Bland said. "Everything is technology driven."
He said he still believes the district should work toward the one-to-one goal.
"We'll have to go back to the drawing board," Bland said. "I'd like to see more technology in the schools. It will just be a slower process than what could have been done with the bond."
BISD school board president Jim Bost said the struggling economy played a role in the mixed results.
"I'm disappointed that both propositions didn't pass," Bost said, "but I fully understand people's economic reasons for not passing proposition 2 because they don't want their taxes raised."
Bland echoed Bost's sentiments.
"I understand this is a 'no' vote to new taxes," Bland said.
Across the state, voters rejected a higher than normal rate of bond elections and rollback elections.
In the May elections, 84 percent of the bond propositions proposed throughout the state passed. On Tuesday, only 66 percent passed, according to TexasISD.com. Thirty-two districts held bond elections Tuesday.
In addition, only 63 percent of the 41 districts attempting to pass some kind of tax increase succeeded. In 2007, 78 percent passed. And in 2006, 93 percent passed.
With passage of prop 1, property owners in the district can expect to see their tax rate increase by 9.5 cents. A taxpayer will pay an additional $11 in taxes on a $150,000 house. If prop 2 had also passed, such a homeowner could have expected to pay a total of $22 in additional taxes.
Runaway Bay resident George Parker said he chose to vote "no" on both propositions.
"I think the school system today, and not just Bridgeport, is not run soundly," Parker said. "I have no problem with giving money to schools if they are being run adequately."
He said districts give too much money to administration and support staff and not enough to the teachers.
"If they reduced administrative costs and gave more money to get and retain better teachers and increase student performance, I would be more inclined to vote for the bonds," Parker said. "I'm very pro-school, but I want more spending on teachers."
He said his "no" votes were more about the way public schools spend money rather than an indictment against the purpose of the two bond proposals.
As for the bond that passed, Bland said he expects to see construction begin by late spring.
"We will start doing a lot of work on both campuses," Bland said. "We expect everything to be completed by the beginning of the 2011 0school year."
The $15 million will go toward construction projects at the intermediate and high schools. The projects include:
High School:
- 10 new classrooms - four new science labs - expanded seating in cafeteria - new band hall - convert old band hall to athletic dressing rooms - build a new gym/special events center that will seat up to 1,480 people - replacement of HVAC units
Intermediate School:
- 10 new classrooms - a new physical education building - reconfiguration of the student drop-off/pick-up area
Bland expects the additional classrooms and space will serve the district for 10 more years of projected growth.
This is the second time this year BISD has proposed a bond or bonds to the voters. In May, voters rejected a $36 million bond by a margin of 364-345. In that election, only 11 percent of registered voters participated. Approximately 20 percent voted in Tuesday's bond election.
