Discussion during an Eanes school board study session Monday about the ramifications of an all-or-nothing bond package failing is food for thought. Consequently, the board appeared to be leaning toward giving voters a multiple-option bond package in November to have a better chance for approval of critical needs relating to maintenance of existing facilities.

The key to ensuring the passage of such an essential option is making certain it contains only those critically important needs. The other options – whether they include a swim center, new school or covered practice facility – should be similarly easy to understand. But nothing is more important than ensuring the purity of the essential list.

School board members have an incredibly difficult job ahead of them in the coming weeks because coming up with items in the essential-options list is only half of the task. Equally difficult will be for the board to then determine what the other options will be and sell them to taxpayers in these uncertain economic times.

Several board members made seemingly valid points about why the nonessential elements are important to keeping our place as one of the leading school districts in the region, but there was general agreement that we cannot afford to do anything that could jeopardize funding that is needed to keep our existing schools operational.

Taxpayers deserve to be given the power to say yes or no to programs and facilities that are unessential. Even the essential option could be, in itself, the highest total for any bond package in the district’s history. But Eanes taxpayers are highly intelligent, and they will make the right decision if given the information in time to evaluate the options.