Column: Bond proposal stirs déjà vu, vote ‘No’

By Frank Vaughan
Lewisville CARES

Déjà vu is a feeling of having already lived through an event. Lewisville ISD is stirring feelings of déjà vu with its decision to tear down neighborhood schools.

Remember the 2008 bond election that proposed splitting Lewisville High School into three separate campuses and bussing the children all over town? I attended all public meetings on this proposal and not once did I hear anyone other than district employees or appointees say they wanted this. The community, parents and stakeholders did not want LHS split into three campuses and our children being treated unlike other high schools in LISD. And yet it happened. We lost our neighborhood high school. Our kids are being bussed all over town.
LISD is going to tear down two more Lewisville neighborhood schools and bus more Lewisville kids away from where they live. If the LISD $737 million bond passes, Hedrick Elementary and College Street will be demolished.

Just like the LHS split, numerous Hedrick parents and children wrote the school board, went to board meetings and pleaded to keep their neighborhood school. Just like the LHS split, they were turned down by the board. The more than 600 Hedrick students will be bussed to surrounding elementary schools. The district has not released a plan on where these kids will be bussed. This rebuild of Hedrick Elementary was listed as a Priority 1 in the bond listings and was still denied by the board.

Lewisville ISD is asking you to vote on approving $737 million in bonds this May.

Vote “No” on this bond so they can come back with a bond proposal we can all support. This bond has a lot of good, but it has a lot of bad. Bring us a better bond proposal.

Vote “No” to support our neighborhood schools. We support our schools, but not this bond that will tear down schools and bus our children.

Vote “No” to set a better example for our children. LISD is about $1.2 billion in debt and would be adding $737 million in debt with interest. Living in constant debt with large amounts of borrowing does not set good examples for our children.

Vote “No” to support the Lewisville schools. The district overbuilt in other feeder patterns and under built in our central pattern, so our children will have to be bussed to fill under utilized schools. Meanwhile Central, Lakeland and Lewisville elementaries are full. We need a bond that addresses overcrowding in the Central Pattern without sacrificing our neighborhood schools.

Vote “No” to keep our taxes from going up. The district tax rate is $0.38 per $100 valuation for debt service, but will go up to approximately $0.44 per $100 in addition to the $1.04 per $100 we already pay for operations. This increased rate may be in place for as long as 20 years. Requests from the board of the proposed tax rate have not been returned.

Vote “No” to unneeded spending — $6.4 million for “Possible Academies,” $10.3 million for “Black Box Theatres”, $93 million for “Network Infrastructure and Student and Staff Access,” or technology upgrades. Déjà vu — remember the student iPads?

Vote “No” because this school board, like the LHS split school board, does not listen to us. Why don’t they listen? Lewisville residents historically do not vote in school elections.

Let’s send them a message that Lewisville residents care about our neighborhood schools, do not want our children bussed and want to be heard about our desires to provide an excellent education to our kids. Vote “No” for the children of Lewisville.