From PISD: Board of Trustees Call May 4 Bond Election

For our look at local sources of revenue.

- Click here for the notice. 

The Pearland Independent School District Board of Trustees called for a May 4 bond election to address infrastructure and district-wide technology needs.

After considering recommendations from the Bond Advisory Committee comprised of community members, business leaders, and parents, trustees called for a $30 million technology and a $75 million infrastructure bond election during their February 13 regular meeting.

Determining the need for technology and facility infrastructure bonds within Pearland ISD was comprehensive and rooted in careful analysis and planning.

The district started by thoroughly assessing its current technology and infrastructure assets. This involved evaluating the condition of existing facilities, finding any shortcomings or areas needing improvement, and checking if the technology resources were enough to support modern educational needs. After gathering assessment data, analyzing it, and taking input from stakeholders and consulting experts, the district formulated a detailed long-term plan for facilities and technology. These plans laid out strategic goals, priorities, and recommendations to address identified needs and ensure that facilities and technology infrastructure align with educational objectives.

The bond package, which seeks to address facility issues identified as top priorities by the committee, includes. . .

Infrastructure Proposition

Electrical: district-wide upgrades to lighting for cost efficiency and added security, including replacement of old lamps for LED indoor and outdoor and addition/replacement of deteriorated light poles; wiring and extension of circuits of existing generators at multiple locations; and replacement of aging electrical components.

HVAC: Replacement and rebuild of HVAC deteriorated system/components, including chiller, boiler, heating and domestic boilers, air handler, and more, at several campuses, district stadium, and Transportation East facility, as well as district-wide replacement of pipe insulation.

Plumbing: Replacement of aging roofing components, including roof drain “cow tongues” (Turner/PJH South), water lines (PJH West), and drainage improvements (Carleston drive).

Roofing: Replacement of existing roofs at PJH East, Rogers, Jamison, East Transportation, PACE Center, Shadycrest, Old ESC, PJH West, and Athletic buildings at PHS.

Life Safety: Upgrades to existing fire alarm systems at PACE Center, Rogers, Challenger, Rustic Oak, Silverlake, CJ Harris, PJH West Weight Room, East Transportation, PHS (Searcy) and Dawson (partial), elevator rebuilds at PHS, district stadium, Turner (2) and PJH South, district-wide fire sprinkler upgrades, campus handheld radio replacement and first responder radio coverage testing equipment.

Parking and Traffic: Parking lot replacement (Carleston and ESC), additional parking (Challenger) and re-painting of fire lanes (district-wide)

Interior Scope: Interior painting, sound system upgrades, Clock System upgrades, gym ceilings and floor refinish/repair, carpet replacement and slab repair/leveling.

Technology Proposition

The technology bond's total amount covers five years of expenses, which includes replacing teacher and student computers on a one-to-one basis, upgrading classroom technology, and investing in staff, teachers, and shared computers, labs, servers, storage, networking, and a data center.

If the proposed technology and infrastructure bonds are approved, most of the planned expenses for technology and infrastructure will be covered until 2032, allowing capital funds to become available for addressing transportation, program, and other operational needs.

If either or both bond propositions pass, the tax rates will stay consistent at the approved rate of $1.1373, which was established during the fall of 2023 through the passage of Pearland ISD’s Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election (VATRE). This stability is facilitated by Pearland ISD’s current capacity within the Interest and Sinking budget (I&S), which will cover the bond projects, alleviating the need for adjustments to the operating or Maintenance and Operations (M&O) budget.

A standout among local and state school districts, Pearland ISD has a history of excellence and innovation in fiscal management, having earned state recognition for its cost-effective operations, paired with high academic achievement and overall student success. According to Niche, the district was recently ranked No. 4 in the Houston area out of 53 and No. 30 out of 1,052 school districts in Texas.

“If the technology and facility infrastructure bonds passed, Pearland ISD would maximize available funding without increasing taxes, allowing us to enhance our educational resources and facilities and support creating a sustainable and strong financial future,” Superintendent Larry Berger said.

To vote in the May 4 election, individuals must be registered Brazoria County voters living in Pearland ISD before April 4. A list of polling places will be available closer to the election date.

For information about registering to vote and voting locations, please visit www.votetexas.gov.

If you have questions about the May 4 bond election, visit www.pearlandisd.org/bond or contact Pearland ISD at 281-485-3203.

From the Texas Tribune: A ballot box found weeks after Election Day has flipped a $569 million school bond vote in Midland

Wow

For our look at how elections are actually run.

- Click here for the article.

County officials found the missing box in early December. Taking into account those 836 votes, plus one stray ticket found separately from the box that had also been misplaced, the results flipped again. The new version of final results, which Land said should finally lay the issue to rest, was 11,800 votes in favor of the bond and 11,826 against. The result means that Midland ISD will not receive the authority to build two new high schools.

For those scoring at home, the bond passed, then failed, then passed and then failed again. Political groups on both sides of the bond vote will now ask the Midland County judge to cement the most recent results so all sides can “go forward,” Land said.

"Though this is not the result that supporters of the 2019 school bond worked for, it was what we expected and were prepared for," We Choose Our Future, the group in favor of the bond, wrote in a statement on Facebook. "Today’s exercise was an opportunity to build trust in the process for future elections and bring closure to this election so that the work on another bond plan can begin."

The most expensive high school sports venue ever built

That's what registered voters in the Katy Independent School District can approve if they pass a bond approving $69 million for the project.

From the Chron:

At $69 million, the 14,000-seat stadium would surpass by almost $10 million one built specifically for the Allen Eagles two years ago. Supporters say it's not a luxury item inspired by the gridiron success of the Katy High School Tigers, who last year won their fourth state championship since 2000. They say it's simply a matter of growth: One stadium cannot handle the scheduling requirements of seven high schools, especially with two or three more to come.

"We didn't do this to be the most expensive or one-up the guy next door," said John Eberlan, a bond project committee member spearheading the publicity effort. "We wanted a good conservative design that will serve the district for years down the road. This is about serving the entire district."

Opponents balk at the cost, regardless of school trustees' insistence that no taxes would need to be raised were the project to pass.

"A $69 million price tag for a second stadium is excessive on the backs of the taxpayers," said Cyndi Lawrence, the head of a Katy tea party organization that opposes the bond project. "I think the people should vote it down and it should go back to the drawing board. We need another committee, an unbiased committee."

The stadium is part of three major capital projects that make up a Katy ISD bond project of just under $100 million. The proposal includes a new agriculture arena along with support facilities and an education center devoted to the so-called STEM subjects of math, science and engineering. But it's the stadium that carries the most cost and has drawn the most controversy - a familiar scenario in countless Texas communities, with accusations of misplaced priorities running up against demands to modernize and expand.

Sample Ballot for the November 5, 2013 Brazoria County Election

Click here for Brazoria County's elections page.

ACC is in precinct 41, so here's the actual ballot voters registered here will be presented.

It contains the nine Texas constitutional amendments and an up or down vote on a proposed $212 million bond for AISD.