Posted 1:59 am Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Grassroots Group Scrutinizes TISD Long-Range Plan
By TIM MONZINGO
Staff Writer
A group of Tyler conservatives that staunchly opposed a 2010 Tyler ISD bond election questioned district officials Tuesday night about its newly approved long-range plan and a possible new bond proposal.
Superintendent Dr. Randy Reid met with members of the Grassroots America — We the People organization to discuss the new plan and state of the school district in a two-hour presentation at the Lakeview Nazarene Church.
Reid's presentation detailed the academic and infrastructure challenges facing the district as it grows during the next eight years, and the long-range plan that is aimed at addressing those challenges through about $450 million in improvements and construction.
Staff Writer
A group of Tyler conservatives that staunchly opposed a 2010 Tyler ISD bond election questioned district officials Tuesday night about its newly approved long-range plan and a possible new bond proposal.
Superintendent Dr. Randy Reid met with members of the Grassroots America — We the People organization to discuss the new plan and state of the school district in a two-hour presentation at the Lakeview Nazarene Church.
Reid's presentation detailed the academic and infrastructure challenges facing the district as it grows during the next eight years, and the long-range plan that is aimed at addressing those challenges through about $450 million in improvements and construction.
“It's a huge burden on the taxpayers,” Reid said to the roughly 30 people present. “We understand that.”
Reid discussed more than 20 questions offered up on note cards and read by JoAnn Fleming, the organization's executive director.
The group opposed a TISD bond election in 2010 for more than $85 million that would have funded some of the developments currently being considered in the long-range plan, such as construction of two new elementary schools. In an earlier interview, a spokesman for the organization said the 2008 development plan was not clear enough in detailing the costs and causes for the improvements.
Following the meeting, Mrs. Fleming said the new plan showed marked improvement over what was presented in 2008.
She said Tuesday's meeting was not definitive for the organization in either opposing or supporting a bond to fund the project.
Reid discussed more than 20 questions offered up on note cards and read by JoAnn Fleming, the organization's executive director.
The group opposed a TISD bond election in 2010 for more than $85 million that would have funded some of the developments currently being considered in the long-range plan, such as construction of two new elementary schools. In an earlier interview, a spokesman for the organization said the 2008 development plan was not clear enough in detailing the costs and causes for the improvements.
Following the meeting, Mrs. Fleming said the new plan showed marked improvement over what was presented in 2008.
She said Tuesday's meeting was not definitive for the organization in either opposing or supporting a bond to fund the project.
“This will not be the last time, I'm sure, we'll be meeting about this,” she said.
She said there were still unanswered questions about redrawing school boundaries based on the new facilities that needed to be addressed. The group also would like to follow up on a “covenant” between the school district and city to monitor college preparedness of graduates, which has fallen by the wayside since it was implemented in 1999, she said.
One major issue, she said, is how the district will decide which projects to do and at what time.
While the district hopes to have a bond election in November to fund the early stages of the plan, the exact projects to include in that bond issue have not yet been decided.
Mrs. Fleming said she and the organization are interested to see how the district prioritizes the projects, which include two new high schools, two new elementary schools, four new schools for students in grades five through eight and an advanced technology and career center.
Reid said his mission at the meeting was not to sway the organization to promote the plan, but rather provide the reasoning behind it.
“This will help us have that capacity to move beyond 2020,” he said of the educational needs of a growing community. “This is meant to last us for many, many years to come.”
Reid said voters have to consider whether it is better to pay for improvements now, in lieu of a poor economy but when bond rates and construction costs are low, or wait until the economy improves, with possibly higher rates and costs.
“The people who have that answer are the voters,” he said.
Questions posed during the meeting, along with the district's responses and data, will be available at http://gawtp.com.
She said there were still unanswered questions about redrawing school boundaries based on the new facilities that needed to be addressed. The group also would like to follow up on a “covenant” between the school district and city to monitor college preparedness of graduates, which has fallen by the wayside since it was implemented in 1999, she said.
One major issue, she said, is how the district will decide which projects to do and at what time.
While the district hopes to have a bond election in November to fund the early stages of the plan, the exact projects to include in that bond issue have not yet been decided.
Mrs. Fleming said she and the organization are interested to see how the district prioritizes the projects, which include two new high schools, two new elementary schools, four new schools for students in grades five through eight and an advanced technology and career center.
Reid said his mission at the meeting was not to sway the organization to promote the plan, but rather provide the reasoning behind it.
“This will help us have that capacity to move beyond 2020,” he said of the educational needs of a growing community. “This is meant to last us for many, many years to come.”
Reid said voters have to consider whether it is better to pay for improvements now, in lieu of a poor economy but when bond rates and construction costs are low, or wait until the economy improves, with possibly higher rates and costs.
“The people who have that answer are the voters,” he said.
Questions posed during the meeting, along with the district's responses and data, will be available at http://gawtp.com.
