THE SPECTATOR: BRENHAM ISD BOND ELECTION
Early voting has begun for Brenham ISD’s $153.9 million bond election. Like most people, my first reaction when I heard that figure was “that’s a lot of money”! Do we really need to build a new junior high school to replace the one built as a high school in 1964? Without a doubt that answer is a resounding “YES”.
If you’ve taken one of the campus tours offered by the school district over the past month you have seen the cracks in the walls…the water damage…the crooked walls. Even if you didn’t take a tour you’ve probably seen the photos and videos posted online by concerned parents and citizens. Water running through the ceilings…water running down the auditorium floors…sand bags against the base of a leaking wall. They are truly disgusting, and I can’t believe our kids are going to class there.
I get it! No one wants to pay higher taxes, including me. The committee of our peers who worked for months to come up with a plan for this bond issue…they will also be paying higher taxes. Do you really think they added a lot of “fluff” to the bond so their taxes would go up even more? It’s been argued that now is not the time to build anything due to the increased cost of construction. But when was the last time you remember construction costs going down? The value of my house on my home insurance policy has certainly never gone backwards. You might also ask yourself what other school districts in Texas still hold classes in a 58 year old building. I doubt there are very many. It’s time to build a new junior high school in Brenham.
If you have questions about what’s in the bond issue I encourage you to listen to Superintendent Dr. Tylor Chaplin’s presentation on KWHI’s BISD Roundtable Show from last Thursday, April 21st. Dr. Chaplin explained everything better than anyone I’ve heard, and answered all of my questions. You can find that program on our website, kwhi.com by clicking on podcasts on the information button at the top of the homepage. If you become informed, I believe you’ll also agree that the time has come to build a new Brenham Junior High.
And that’s the way it looks to this Spectator.