BISD Bond Election 2005

by Ron West

    You will soon have an opportunity to express your opinion on a very large bond issue for Birdville Independent School District.  This information is just for your consideration prior to voting.

    FACT 1:  The people promoting this bond election are saying that it is necessary for "revitalization" of the area.  Is "revitalization" an issue that the school district should be concerned with?  The spokesmen for BISD have said in public meetings that they must have "growth in the tax base".  Why?   Would the second highest school tax rate in the county tend to attract new business or new residents to our area?  Instead of "revitalizing" the increased taxation might actually harm future growth in our area.

    FACT 2:  The discussion is about increasing taxes necessary for debt service for the new bond spending.  This is projected to be $.26 per $100 valuation for the LIFE of the bonds.  This INCREASE is addition to the existing tax rate of $1.617 and will raise taxes to next to the highest in Tarrant County.  The projected increase does not show any forecast increases in normal operating expenses and if such become necessary, the tax rate will be even higher.   Base tax rate is projected to rise to $1.877 per $100 valuation without any projected increase in operating expenses over the life of the bonds.  The school tax alone on a $100,000 house would be $1877 per year or $156.42 per month (before any exemptions).  School taxes already represent the largest single tax cost to home owners.

    FACT 3:  This bond issue seeks to tear down older schools because they are inefficient.  No cost comparisons have been presented.  Under this line of thinking, one could justify tearing down the White House or Texas Capital Building because they are old.  In Fort Worth, I attended Oakhurst Elementary and Carter Riverside High School.  Both are still beautiful, functional schools and both are over 60 years old. 

    FACT 4:  School enrollment is flat or declining in the BISD area.  The need for the bonds is not predicated upon a rapidly increasing enrollment of students.  Bonds do not impact or add to teacher pay.

    FACT 5:  The funds for the last bond issues approved by voters for BISD were not used for the specified purposes.  Two separate issues were used to pay for the expensive Walker Creek Elementary school primarily for Hometown NRH residents.  Based on the magnitude of this issue, there is a question as to how the money will actually be spent.

    FACT 6:  Some of the proposed uses of this bond issue are for items - such as artificial turf at Birdville  Stadium - that will probably require maintenance long before the bonds are retired.  Is this really necessary?

    FACT 7:  Taxes are increasing far faster than school enrollment or improvements in student achievements.  A comparison of BISD taxation is as follows:

R Birdville ISD          3,718,560,654            39,841           2,986,975,436      39,820        1997       Estimated tax collected in 1997 by BISD = $44,806,125

R Birdville ISD         6,355,157,603             43,895          5,267,443,503       43,462        2004       Estimated tax collected in 2004 by BISD = $85,174,561

R Birdville ISD         6,698,514,367             44,229          5,489,073,183       43,364        2005       Estimated tax collected in 2005 by BISD = $88,758,313

Net projected INCREASE in tax revenue to BISD from 2004 to 2005 - not including the proposed bond issue $3,583,751  - 4.2% increase year to year with virtually no growth in student enrollment.  (Numbers above exclude other revenue realized from business personal property.)

    FACT 8:    A website promoting the bond issue states "Doing nothing is not an option." This is an untrue statement.  If the bond issue fails, there are a number of other options open to school administrators including scaling back some of the more extravagant spending issues such as indoor air conditioned practice fields for athletics or eliminating costly artificial turf.   There are always options open to an active electorate.

    FACT 9:    There is quite a bit of support for this bond issue from people outside the district who will not be impacted by the increased taxation but who may benefit personally either directly or indirectly from its passage.

    FACT 10:    Voter apathy virtually guarantees passage of the bond issues and the corresponding increase in property taxes for the future.

    FACT 11:     The school district is apparently willing to do anything necessary to insure approval of this bond issue.  They have set up special voting places at virtually all of the schools to allow the capture of what is perceived to be all support for the bond issue.  See the voting places and times on the home page of this site.  This action borders on illegal electioneering.

        I encourage you to do your own research and evaluation of the bond issue and to vote for or against the issue as you see fit based on your own research.  Without a large voter turnout for the bond election, it is almost certain to pass.

        Should anyone wish to take issue with or challenge any of the above facts, please send such information to this website for consideration and publication.   Tax data was taken from Http://www.tad.org reports and website information.