More Letters to the Editor over the LGISD Bond Proposal

Our normal policy for letters to the editor states that we will not print letters endorsing either side of an election after early voting begins. Early voting in the La Grange ISD Bond Election began this week. However, we recieved several letters about the bond this week, so we are providing them online for anyone to read. Below the opinion letters is a letter from La Grange ISD about the bond package.

Vote No on the Bond

I would like to express some input on the upcoming school bond. I am a taxpayer in the district and I have strong feelings on how our money is spent on any public project the school being one of them. I agree with last week’s letter writer that referenced the real cost to the average homeowner. That average assessment being closer to the 152,000-dollar figure verses the school stated 134,000 dollars. Te larger figure is the last average based on the actual 2016 appraisal district assessments. I asked the appraisal district how much money did the LGISD collect due to the increased assessment? The answer was about $700,000 dollars. Wow. Did the district wisely bank this money toward the new construction cost? Over the life of a 20 year bond that comes to 14,000,000. That’s 40% of the bond. And this income will go up, as assessments are sure to rise. Perhaps the bond should be substantially less. Also the interest on the first year alone on 37 million dollars at a conservative 2.5% is 925,000 dollars. That to me is a staggering waste of money. I am curious what the estimated interest of the total bond is.

Just a thought, perhaps a focus on actual education and discipline might be a better place to start if improvements are needed. I just read in this past Record a teacher was assaulted. What is happening here? I don’t see a 37million school as the answer.  Good clean safe learning environment might be an answer. And I can assure you I am not alone in this opinion.

It is a shame that someone works hard all their life and wants to have a comfortable home only to end up struggling to keep it because of overwhelming tax burdens. I will vote NO on the bond. I say spend what you have wisely like the rest of us have to. A change in the tax code must take place and soon where property owners do not bare the entire burden to fund schools. A fair option would be a sales tax where all would share in the common goal. It will not be long when only the very wealthy will be able to afford a home of their own.

Jesse Lednicky, La Grange

Vote “NO” on the bond proposal

The reasons to vote against this $28,900,000 bond proposal have been mentioned a couple of times already.  The true tax increase per average home, not last years figures as LGISD insists on continuing to use- has been shown, twice now.  The real problem of lack of satisfactory academic progress, compared to the districts surrounding us won't be fixed by the brick and mortar projects of the bond proposal.  Ask yourself- as any homeowner or renter might-  What still stands out in your memory the most?   The two or three great teachers who affected your career and life path- or the classroom walkway, or how new it was, or whether your continuing ed class was in a remodeled old hospital space or the Casino Hall or Ag Building, etc..?  Is this really worth $300 or more, a year on an average homeowners tax bill?

Tom Wood, La Grange

Reality is somewhere in between

As i sit back and read the various opinions and thoughts on the proposed LGISD bond, i am struck by the starkly differing approaches in support/opposition to the proposal.

On one hand, you have the pro-bond group who are making impassioned comments founded in empathy and compassion. They position themselves as 'this is for the kids' and 'our kids deserve more' and tend present significantly less the fiscal realities that this bond represents. They focus on the human factor without considering the financial burden this could represent for others.

Conversely, you have the anti-bond group who focus heavily on the costs in terms of increased personal property taxes and fail to accept the longer-terms impacts which not-passing this bond could create. They also tend to be overly focused on money than the human factor of this proposal. And while it may be viewing this from my bubble, the anti crowd tends to be in the group which is eligible for the freeze... meaning the proposal doesn't really affect them.

Reality is somewhere between these viewpoints.

This bond isn't going to make the quality of education in LGISD instantly better (and ultimately may never) and passing the bond will increase property taxes. However, these facilities, like many other aspects of our public infrastructure, are in dire need of repair and the cost to do these repairs won't be going down.

Viewing this as a business decision: when maintenance becomes more expensive than replacement, it is time to replace/rebuild. We must divorce ourselves from personal impact on this and consider the proposal based on the merits alone.

I am empathetic to those with concerns over the increase in taxes many will face; however, i'm also understand the fiscal responsibility we have to provide for our children and the children of our district.

With that, i would encourage everyone to vote for the bond proposal: not because it is for the children, but because there is a need and it is our responsibility to fill this need. I also implore district officials to treat this bond with a sense of fiduciary responsibility to the tax payers of this district and ensure that all money approved is used in the most prudent and efficient way possible.

Eric Green, La Grange

The time is now

We have received numerous letters concerning the upcoming bond election – both for and against it.

I have read each and every one of them. I see both sides and can understand the concerns from both points of view.

On the one hand, this is a very expensive bond proposal. Many feel that the district should be a better steward of the taxpayer’s money. They feel that there is money being spent unnecessarily.

I understand that this will cost the taxpayers an additional amount of money each year for the next 20 years.

On the other, the school buildings are very old and in need of more than a band-aid to fix the problems that have occurred over the last 50+ years.

The district has, historically, repaired rather than replaced items, buildings, etc. The school board has found a way to “make do” whenever possible knowing that the taxpayers expect them to act in a conservative manner in regards to their tax dollars.

This has been done over and over again, but there comes a time when things need to be replaced, when things can no longer be repaired.

Yes, this is an expensive bond. If the taxpayers had voted for the bonds in previous years, this would not have been necessary, but they did not and we have had to “make do.”

Our children and our grandchildren are worth more than that. They are worth more than just a building that will “make do.”

I hear people say that it seems that they could cut costs somewhere. Well, where would you suggest? The cafeteria? Did you know that there are over 1000 students who eat in that cafeteria each day? Currently, they have to start feeding them before 10:30 a.m. and don’t finish until 1:30 p.m. (and that’s with herding them through like cattle.)

Maybe they should cut down on the number of restrooms. The minimum standard is one toilet to 25 students – that’s a minimum of 40 toilets for grades PreK-6. And that’s assuming there is no increase in enrollment.

Maybe they should build a one-story building instead of choosing to build a two-story one, that would save the additional cost of an elevator. Why build a two-story structure? Because a one-story structure would take up much of the limited land area and having green space for the children to play in was considered a priority.

Maybe they should just put more kids into each classroom – that would save on number of classrooms needed. According to state law, there is a maximum number of 22 students per classroom in grades K-4. Yes, exceptions can be made, however, with increased numbers of students in each classroom, the time the teacher has for each student decreases. That ultimately translates to lower academic standards.

If that is not enough to convince you, then you should think about the health and well-being of these children. The safety of our children is of the utmost importance. The building is literally falling down around the students. Ceiling tiles are falling, bathroom tiles are loose, water faucets do not work, toilets leak out into the classroom, the list goes on and on.

The amount of instruction time that is lost in walking from one building to another should be reason enough to build the new facilities, but it is more than that. When students must walk outside to go to music, art, PE, and the library, it is not just the time it takes to walk from one building to another. It is the time it takes to get ready to walk to those outside facilities – coats if it is cold, umbrellas/raincoats if it is raining. Young children are not all capable of taking care of that themselves, so the teacher must stop teaching at least 10 minutes in advance of the time to leave for the outside classroom to help get all 20 of the children ready to go. These children cannot be let out to go as they get ready, they must all be ready to walk out the door before any of them can leave and then a teacher or instructional aide must accompany them to and from these activities.

We have our older students (both high school and middle school) housed in a safe building and yet we leave our youngest, most vulnerable in the most unsafe of all the buildings in La Grange ISD. Are we going to wait until something tragic happens?

I, for one, think the safety of our children should come first. I believe that this is the only way to ensure that safety. If our children do not feel safe, if they are worn out from walking to and from the multiple buildings, how can they focus on the primary task of learning.

I know this will cost each of us more money than we already pay in taxes right now, I have both personal and commercial property in LGISD, so my taxes will go up and I can’t even vote for the bond because I don’t reside in the district – but I think the children of La Grange ISD are worth it.

The time for this bond was (10?) years ago, but we didn’t want to spend the money then and now the problems are worse.

The time is now.

Regina Keilers, Oldenburg

Why Now?

There is so much information voters need to know to make an educated, informed decision when it comes time to vote on the proposed school bond. La Grange ISD is a wonderful school district with amazing teachers, staff and administration, yet our facilities are lacking. 

The greatest need is at the Hermes/Intermediate campus and this is where the bulk of the funds will be allocated. The current facilities have reached their functional obsolescence. This campus houses 8 grade levels (yes 8!) from Pre-Kindergarten to sixth grade. The land was donated many years ago by the Hermes family.  The deed specifically states this land is to be used for educational purposes only. We cannot sell this land and use the money to build an intermediate school elsewhere.

The campus is comprised of several buildings constructed at various times. The oldest is a gym from 1938 and some classrooms are circa 1948. Children have to walk outside to get from one building to another. This includes going to lunch, the nurse, music, library, gyms, office and other classes. The added time to walk from one end of the campus to the other takes away from instructional time. Having to put on jackets and bundle up in the winter takes even longer. 

Did you know during times of inclement weather, such as the storm two weeks ago when there was heavy lightning, the children were not allowed to walk outside between the buildings to reach their next destination until the weather subsided and it was safe to do so? This alters their classroom schedules, learning time, going to the nurse as well as their lunch schedules! With an all enclosed campus, the day won't be interrupted by inclement weather.  

Several wings of this campus are not ADA compliant. There are many handicapped children who have to literally walk outside of one building and go into another building to use the restroom. These are children who walk with walkers and who take a lot of extra time and energy to get from one location to the next. Often times, they don't make it to the restroom in time and then have to change clothes. This takes away from instructional time, but it also is very discouraging for these children. When this campus was originally constructed, ADA wasn't even heard of. The proposed school bond would allow for an enclosed campus alleviating these and many other problems. 

The plans also provide for a new centrally located playground. There is added security when buildings surround the play area. The current playground is adjacent to a city street where anyone can watch our children during recess. When school is not in session, it is open to the community. Teachers must walk the playground every day to make certain there isn't anything inappropriate or dangerous left by the public. 

The cafeteria serves approximately 1,200 meals each school day. The lunches must be staggered due to lack of space, seating, undersized kitchen and equipment. The first lunch starts at 10:25am and the last at 1:35pm. With a new facility, the cafeteria would be able to serve all lunches between the normal hours of 11am and 1pm. 

Several teachers indicated there aren't enough restrooms. When these restrooms need maintenance, which does happen often due to their age, it causes further delays again taking away from instructional time.  

Many don't realize the cost to renovate the Hermes/Intermediate campus includes demolition of several buildings, a new two story classroom wing for 4 grade levels with new furniture, a new cafeteria with new kitchen equipment, a new media center, new administration and multipurpose rooms.  New fans, water fountains and multipurpose flooring will be installed in the 1938 gym.  The 1967 Vo-Ag building will be renovated to house the Special Education program, curriculum offices and technology. Additional improvements include concrete for new parking lot and bus drive as well as renovations to the existing auditorium. 

At the middle school and high school campuses, the bond includes band hall expansion and renovation doubling its size to accommodate the entire band. Currently the band is housed in portable buildings where the acoustics are poor and there isn't enough room for all of the band members to practice together. The bus drive and parent drive will repaired and resurfaced and traffic flow improvements will be made. The high school will have a new secure vestibule entrance where visitors are routed exclusively to the office before having any type of access to classrooms. It is so important for our teachers and students to have the safest environment possible! 

The Dual Credit Center, formally Fayette Memorial Hospital, currently houses Cosmetology in one section. The remaining building is gutted and unused. The bond would allow for renovation of the unused space for classrooms and computer labs for Dual Credit and Community Education purposes, along with renovations to improve restrooms and office/reception entrance area.

The state curriculum and graduation requirements mandate that school districts provide more advanced course options as well as career and technical education classes. Currently there are only 3 dual credit courses offered at the high school due to lack of space. With the renovation of the dual credit center, additional classes will be offered. The school district could also partner with Blinn to offer evening classes for college students or anyone wanting to obtain college credit hours.

Why now? In addition to the immediate needs at hand, the cost of construction is only going to go up. The costs have already gone up dramatically since the first bond was proposed many years ago.

The community needs to make an informed, educated decision. The time truly is NOW for us to rally together in support of the proposed school bond. Teachers, staff and students are depending on us to make the right choice. Better facilities will promote and enhance learning. Our kids are worth the investment, don't you agree? 

Respectfully Submitted, 

Katy Michalke, La Grange