Group Opposes TISD Bond Issue

TYLER — Grassroots America – We the People Executive Director JoAnn Fleming Thursday announced the organization’s opposition to Tyler ISD’s proposed $89.8 million bond on the upcoming November 2 ballot. Fleming says after a careful review of the bond package details, the Grassroots Board of Directors and Watchdog Committee found the bond package lacking in details necessary to ensure taxpayers the wisest long-term use of tax dollars.

Fleming says” In good faith, we invited TISD officials to make their presentation to us last week. We spent more than two hours viewing their plans and asking questions. Bottom line – the district is not ready for this. There are just too many unanswered questions for taxpayers to take a $90 million risk and hope the district figures out the details later.”

Fleming claims the answers to the following questions are unknown:

1. TISD officials say they are working on preliminary steps regarding the standing desegregation order. How will possible future lifting of this order impact attendance zones and facility needs?

2. The TISD Superintendent plans alternative grade configurations – pairing and housing certain grades together. What is the plan? How will it change grade alignments/facilities/annual operating costs/academics? Will we need more facilities or fewer?

3. Where will the new proposed Rice Elementary School be built? Existing site? New location? If new location, where? Is there a vacant 15-acre parcel of land in the Rice attendance zone? If not, will the district use eminent domain to secure the new site?

4. TISD officials indicate there will be future opportunities to close or re-purpose some of the existing middle schools? Which ones? How soon? At what impact to long-term costs?

5. How much will it cost annually to operate the proposed new middle school (teachers, staff, utilities, supplies, maintenance, etc.)? TISD officials say that “it could cost up to $2 million in additional operating costs” and state “it is difficult to know how much it will cost until boundaries are determined and enrollments and staffing can be calculated.”

6. How will the added cost of operating the proposed new middle school be funded since the District’s maintenance and operating portion of the tax rate is at the cap, and the 2010-2011 budget is currently balanced with $5 million in federal stimulus funds held in the State’s Rainy Day fund?

Fleming added:

· “Tyler ISD has had no real conversation with the community stakeholders (parents, homeowners, business owners) to discuss and reevaluate the district needs and priorities. They still have no public hearings posted, and we are less than 30 days away from the election.”

· “TISD says the bond election won’t increase the tax rate. This is misleading. The truth is, when the old bonds ($221 million – principal only – from 2004 and 2008 bond elections) pay off, taxes are expected to go down. This is like paying off a huge credit card balance one day and running up a new balance the next day. Your payments might not go up, but you are still in debt! We can no longer ignore debt in this country – debt at any level of government. If the district can stuff another $90 million into the debt portion of the tax rate, this means there’s enough room to reduce taxes. Keeping taxes at the higher rate is a tax increase. To say it any other way is just wrong.”

Fleming concluded, “With so much uncertainty in the economy as a whole – and with rising debt piled on taxpayers and future generations by federal and state government – here at the local level, taxpayers need, want, and deserve clearly-defined long-range plans. We need to know what the plans are and how much they will cost us. We need to understand what results we can expect from the plans. We need a chance to discuss it as a community before we vote to add more local debt. Grassroots America – We the People urges voters to reject the Tyler ISD bond package. Bad planning, bad timing, too many unanswered questions = a debt risk we can’t afford!” You can go to http://www.gawtp.com to learn more about Fleming’s group.

Earlier, Senator Kevin Eltife and former Mayor Joey Seeber announced that the VOTE YES Committee will again support the bond issue. Eltife and Seeber say based on the age, capacity for growth and condition of the aging portable buildings on their campuses, it becomes more cost effective to build and maintain replacement schools. Eltife says, “We fully recognize that these are tough economic times and we hope to educate the voters on the need to continue with our phased approach to upgrading our school facilities.”