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Letters to the Editor
Proposition 2, covered practice field a heathy choice
Thursday, September 2, 2010
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Dear Editor:
The Eanes school board has included a covered practice facility in the November bond election. It would benefit the several hundred students who use the existing fields on a daily basis during the school year and beyond. It is proper that we should build this facility, and it is long overdue. We need it not because other school districts have built them, but for the same reasons they built them – to protect the kids from heat and inclement weather. Our youngsters swelter in the summer temperatures day after day. When the temperature reaches what to us is 102 or 103 degrees, the temperature on the practice fields is surely 118 or 120 or higher. Students in full uniform suffer greatly but endure because of the love of their special activity and for their school. We are lucky we have not had a student suffer from heat prostration, or worse, heat stroke. These symptoms are associated with high temperatures and high humidity, a daily hazard on our practice fields. A student at another school died of heat stroke a few hours after I helped carry him off their practice field. No parent will ever want to witness their child in this condition.
This is not an issue where we can equate a child’s health with the cost of the structure. If it is to be built, voters in the Westlake community must become involved and participate in the election because it is not merely a school issue. Parents whose children use the fields might bond together, form working committees and search for ways to let the community voters know that these dangers exist. More ideas can be developed by people who are good leaders and good organizers. I hope some will volunteer. Our children need them.
The Eanes school board has given us this great chance to protect our kids. It may be our last time to vote on this issue for years to come. It is time to support the board in its decision to include the covered facility in the bond proposal. We must start now.
Ed Ramsey
Fainwood Lane
This is on Prop 3. We cannot afford this right now. My taxes are going up across the Board and I am making choices at home about what is a need and what is a want as many other EISD residents are having to do. This is a want and not a need. Maybe in a few years when the economy bounces back but not now.
Bond interest rates are at historic lows and construction costs are down. EISD has the lowest tax rate in Central Texas. Now is the ideal time to invest in the future of our school district and pass the bond propositions. Interest rates are bound to rise and waiting will only increase costs. Now is the time.
Now is NOT the time to double the district’s debt and raise our taxes to pay for it!
In today’s NYTimes, a story discussed how the Federal administration was considering the once unthinkable: letting property values drop. The notion was that if property values were not propped up by sales incentives and cheap interest, then the benefit would accrue to the people who don’t own houses, while those who do would experience a devaluation not seen since the depression.
Into this firestorm walks EISD. If we float these bonds, and if our schools go bankrupt, what will happen to our property values then? The situation is dire. It’s not a local problem: it is national.
Floating bonds right now, even at historically low interest rates, is about the worst idea imaginable. In the risk rewards scenarios, most are negative. In order to be positive, one has to believe that Texas will fix school finance, property values will remain stable or increase, our student population will grow, and that all this will happen before we tap out the rainy day fund.
This bond is a bad idea. A really, truly, bad idea. Vote No.
I really don’t see that the reference to the NY Times article is valid for our community. I have not seen that very many of our homes were a part of sales incentives or for that matter cheap interest. People value our great location and our schools. Our homes have sold well and maintained their value for years through all kinds of market twists and turns and I have lived in the community and watched real estate for over 30 years. Homes were selling in our area when interest rates were well over 10%. Try another tactic to derail a positive investment in our students and our community !!!
The NYTimes story is relevant because we are in a NATIONAL crisis. Property values are generally considered to be overheated and have been propped up by stimulus money. Since the stimulus dried up, so have housing sales.
Talk to your friends in Real Estate in Austin. They are worried that it has finally hit us. The point of the post is that we in EISD believe that this bond will support our property values, but we are not immune to national trends, and if we double our debt in a period of stagnant or falling property values, we are setting up a disaster.
Our Trustees are blinded by the possible, and not the real. The reality is that these are not the economic conditions for doubling our debt.
Want a metaphor? Think about the current state of the housing industry. Each of the people taking mortgages on homes they could not technically afford were given money because it was cheap to borrow. But guess what? They couldn’t perform on their mortgages, the properties were overvalued in the first place, and the default rate sunk the US economy.
This is exactly what EISD is doing: they are taking out a mortgage they can’t afford because interest rates have never been lower. The only thing is, there is no margin for error: falling property values will sink us.
And falling property values is the most likely thing to happen NATIONWIDE.
Train wreck. It’s a friggin’ train wreck in the making.
I respectfully disagree with “we a not immune.” The average home value in West Lake Hills and Rollingwood increased significantly over the past two years. http://westlakepicayune.com/2010/07/08/travis-county-home-values-rise-sharply-in-wlh-rollingwood/
Stimulus money had nothing to do with it.
It makes no sense to compare a bond issue by a school district with an excellent credit rating and the lowest tax rate in Central Texas to a person taking out a mortgage on a home. The citizens of EISD are smart enough to know that. Investment in the future of our school district is imperative to maintain the excellence for which EISD is known, to provide more than what state government deems adequate, and to preserve our property values. Now is the time to make that investment.
My home value just decreased. Think I’ll hold off on putting in a new swimming pool and sports court. The guest house will have to wait too.
Ok ya’ll—–if our schools and district do not keep up with other districts in the area (like Lake Travis!) and our district does NOT remain exemplary and if we don’t keep our facilities top notch and up to date, then people who have a choice move to other districts and then we will not have property values to worry about because NO ONE will want to buy in Eanes because we have failed to float bonds that will keep our school s and district exemplary. No A/C?? That is in the bond to update A/C in our schools, (I heard one of our new board members demanded that the A/C in his/her child’s class needed to be cooler because it is too hot in the classroom and this same board member voted against the bonds!)Schools without up to date technology in our district— we have keep up with every thing that is new and float bonds to do so! The schools reflect the values of our community. Just look at AISD—-their schools reflect their communities!!! And what is important to the district! Would you let your home be without A/C or a computer that runs only doss programs—-or had dial up??? NO way! Vote yes for the bonds—-and look at each one individually and not as whole. Do it for your kid, your former students and for your property values!
Also when children and families are hurt by the district be sure to look the other way and keep real quiet. We want to protect the district and our property values. That’s the important thing.
Loads of junk is just what was spouted. These bonds will not keep our schools exemplary: teachers keep our schools exemplary. Your notion that EISD keeps our property values up is quaint. Under your reasoning, and your anti AISD rant, Pemberton should be dirt cheap. It is not. Why will the Westbank keep great property values? Because it is close in. Already many, many of my Westlake neighbors attend St. Andrews, St. Stephens, and St. Gabriels. Proximity keeps your property values up, not a swim center.
Your post is ill informed. You obviously like to repeat unfounded rumors as fact. And you confuse buildings with excellence.
No, vote for teachers. Vote to kill all the bonds. Teachers make the difference; everything else is ego driven. Like Mr. and Mrs. Loads of Junk.
Voting for the bonds does not guarantee that our schools will remain exemplary. Voting for the bonds does not guarantee that the schools will get the air conditioners that are needed. Voting for the bonds does not guarantee an increase in my property values, though it most certainly guarantees an increase in my property taxes.
Many of the items in Proposal 1 – the “critical needs” bond – were in the current bond. Somehow, the district ran out of money to complete the projects (though there was enough “leftover” money to buy outdoor directional signage for the high school) so they’ve been moved to the proposed bond. And with the all-powerful “change of scope” tool at the ready, the Board of Trustees can change bond spending however they wish, so who knows what will actually be accomplished with the three bonds.
(Regarding your statement about the “new trustee”: You must be referring to Colleen Jones. She did vote against the proposed bond package; however, Dr. Jones and Clint Sayers did propose an alternate bond package that would still have taken care of a/c, technology, etc. but in a much more fiscally conservative manner.)
Quality teachers flock to schools that provide resources that make teaching easier. The profession is difficult enough but just like in the business world, offering cutting edge technology, top notch facilities, and a multitude of programs entice quality applicants. To say the 3 Bond issues don’t affect teachers is ridiculous. Everyone wants to work in an atmosphere of excellence. Continuing to invest in the future of EISD is an important part of attracting and keeping quality teachers. The comparison with AISD is a good one. Which school would you prefer your kids attend? On a side note, the pendulum has swung completely in the direction of helping and aiding special education students. There are a significant # of teachers/staff devoted strictly to the needs and services of special education students. If parents of regular education students knew just how much time was devoted to special education services, they would be demanding more for their kids. The average kid is the one most likely to fall through the cracks in our public education system.
Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. Mr. Spear is simply wrong. The “pendulum may have swung” with respect to special education, but only in the sense that pendulum is an ax. But hey, Jack, thanks for giving me a place to jump into this debate and provide you some troubling facts.
EISD has consistently, year over year, for the past several years cut special education expenses. To do so, EISD has cut, year over year, the population of students served in special education to a point where the percentage of children receiving special education services in EISD is a statistical improbable 7-8% compared to a national average of 10-11%. EISD has made it increasingly difficult to get identified as requiring special education services; it can now take more than a year to get a child “identified.” With each child kept out of receiving Special Ed services, EISD is able to reduce its commitment to fund Special Ed. Want proof? Count teachers. Over the past 5 years EISD has cut special ed teachers, including speech and OT and PT professionals to the point that several schools now share these resources. And don’t get me started on the wholesale reduction of student aides that are so critical to the inclusion of special ed students into general ed classrooms, because that doesn’t support your assertion in the least. The staff reductions have been just short of draconian.
And to add insult to injury, last year EISD siphoned Federal Stimulus Funds specifically earmarked by the DEA to be used for special education into the general education fund. In other words EISD used Federal funds earmarked for Special Education for typical students; subverting not only the intention of the stimulus program but in effect denying children with special needs access to funds allocated for them by the federal budget to change the quality of their education, and their lives.
So any assertion that these kids are taking from the typical population is factually wrong. But hey, go ahead and spread the rumor anyway, Mr. Spears.
Because each of us is but one accident of birth, one head injury, or one tragedy away from needing special education services you might try saying this the next time you see a child with Autism, or a child with Down syndrome, or a child with an undiagnosed medical condition that inhibits his ability to learn:
“There but for the grace of God, go I.”
Now is the time…
Someone would need to have rocks in their head to believe that Central Appraisal District appraisals are the right indicator for home values in a place like Austin, Texas.
The politics of the appraisal process trumps all other considerations like, say, the actual value of the property.
Mr. Spear, I feel compelled to add to Carl’s comments about your assertion that the ones most likely to fall through the cracks are the average students is inaccurate. Special education students disproportionately are assigned to alternative education programs or are liable to drop out of school.
As a former teacher, I can assure you that a gifted child learns far more easily than a child with learning disabilities. But many disabled children are very bright and very capable of learning with a little support. I like to say that 80% of all problems in this area are about common sense and attitude, not money.
It is unfortunate that you seem to begrudge the laws that require our school and others to provide an appropriate education to disabled students because they are then spending more on those students than others. “Equality” is in equal opportunity (indeed the fourteenth amendment was the basis for the disability laws), not equal expenditure.
I don’t know of too many Eanes parents who feel the pendulum has swung entirely in favor of special education. As Carl points out, most special education parents have felt that the program has been under attack on the resources front for some time. Closing content mastery at WHS is one move that I think will result in many problems. Not giving help to students that need it can often result in problems becoming more serious and the school spending even more money. I know of two Westwood HS students (in RRISD) who wound up in a private psychiatric treatment facility because RRISD refused to help them because they made good grades. Under some circumstances, the school can be responsible for reimbursing those expenses. I suspect EISD may be following the same practice regarding grades and eligibility. Sometimes being penny wise is being pound foolish.
We should all support the best education (not necessarily buildings) we can provide for all of our students, regardless of their abilities. While some special education services are more costly–the need for one on one aides and the related services of speech and occupational therapy–they produce a healthier, better educated, and more productive and independent student that society will not need to support. All of us benefit from those expenditures.
Similarly, EISD has a long tradition of collaboration with parents and community involvement in the schools–we need to return our focus to that tradition. These bonds were not what the citizen bond advisory committee recommended.
I suggest you learn more about students with disabilities and reconsider your resentment towards them.
We should be providing help to students with disabilities and teaching them how to cope and function in the world with their disability. The pendulum has swung to the point where we are doing all the work and providing so many accommodations, in the classroom, that the special ed. student has to do very little to pass. If a student has a disability, they should have to do more to achieve at the same level as a student without a disability, not less. If a student has a behavioral modification plan, they are allowed to act inappropriately if the behavior is tied to their disability. The real world does not tolerate such behavior so how are those students going to get along when their parents are no longer around to explain or save them from their behavior? For fear of being sued, teachers are accommodating to the extreme to make sure the special ed. students pass. This doesn’t necessarily mean these students are getting the best out of the education system. This is what I mean by the pendulum… You can quote #’s all you want but having 1 staff member devoted to 1 student, all day every day, is pretty good attention….I am not sure what else you expect the district to do?
I have to agree with Jack Spear # 13. When my child was identified for special education in the first grade I was blown away by the amount attention paid to us by the Special Ed. staff. We were in no way made to feel like we should move out of the district or send our child to private school. In fact it was totally the opposite. They bent over backwards to accommodate our family. I agree whole heartedly with Jack’s statement above… “If parents of regular education students knew just how much time was devoted to special education services, they would be demanding more for their kids” On top the attention our child received, as parents we felt fully engaged in the process. We had minimum of 4 meetings per year with no less than 4 Special Ed. staff and the principal. In the period from 1st thru 5th grade I don’t know of one person that was cut and I know they added at least one person to the staff. The entire staff was unbelievable to work with and could not have been more professional.
We have friends, and have heard of several families, that have moved into the district based solely on the great reputation of the EISD special education program.
As I read the stuff posted here it strikes me that most of the special education related blogging is directly opposite of my personal experience. However, it doesn’t appear that any of the negative bloggers have any actual experience with special education.
Wow. So a goal for a child with a disability is independence. I had no idea. Thanks, Jack, for pointing that out. As if independence and safety in the real world isn’t the only thing parents of children with disabilities think about–morning, noon, and night–from the second the disability is diagnosed.
Your attitude is showing, Mr. Spears. Your dismay at the presence of children with disabilities in your public school is quite clear. You spout myths as fact. And then you wonder “what else [parents of children with disabilities] expect the district to do?”
We expect the district to treat our children with respect and fairness. We expect for our children to be educated with their non disabled peers to the full extent possible. We expect for excellence promised to all at EISD to extend to our children.
And we expect EISD to keep our children from the influence of people like you.
I could address each of your points in turn, but it is useless to waste words on people who won’t hear. Shame on you. The trash you spout is not true, but that certainly will not keep you from spewing it. And that makes you, in my book, far more disabled than any child in my son’s classroom.
Jack–behavior modification plans aren’t free passes to misbehave. They are plans to modify inappropriate behavior and make it appropriate because traditional disciplinary methods are ineffective to do so.
Accommodations mean the student has to do little to pass? If you mean busy work, I agree. If you mean mastery of the curriculum, I disagree. If the curriculum is modified they have to graduate under the IEP. Why should my child with a disability have to work harder than my gifted child? Her disabilities would require her to expend more effort to master the same material (and her sister would be the first to tell you that she’s glad that she wouldn’t have to put forth as much effort as her disabled sister for such little reward), but I don’t understand why you want to measure equal effort. If my IQ is 40 points higher than yours does that mean that you think that we’d both have to study the same amount of time to pass the bar exam? Does that mean your law license is worth less than mine? Even the Law Examiners make accommodations for disabled applicants for the bar taking the bar examination. Is the blind attorney less of a lawyer than I am?
I was also a teacher, and good (and excellent) teachers who care about kids and understand disabilities will work with their students, gifted and disabled, to try to help them master the material being taught. If I’m failing 30% of my class, not only are my students failing–I’m failing as a teacher. Good educators have long done this not because the law requires but because they’ve seen the potential many of these students have if they are given a chance, not because they are afraid of lawsuits. As for the rest of the world, you should familiarize yourself with ADA and Section 504 and even Texas laws on discrimination. They apply in the workplace as well.
As for those students who need 1 on 1 aides–these students usually have significant disabilities, but with attention, love, and good planning, they can be weaned off of the aides (depending on the physical demands), and learn to function more independently. Would you rather we fund a 1 on 1 aide for the rest of their lives? And in case you don’t really keep up with this area, you should know that there are very few institutions in this state for adults with the most severe disabilities and the waiting list for group homes is lengthy.
What we should all expect the district to do is comply with the special education laws and offer disabled students the opportunity to which they’re legally entitled on the basis of their disability. With the right attitude and some common sense, that can be a very satisfactory system for both the schools and the families.
Finally, I wish you could experience one evening of parenting a special needs child. The courage, the heartbreak, the determination, the frustration, the emotions these kids go through cannot be adequately described. But until you walk in those shoes, don’t be so quick to assume the special ed families or disabled students are on Easy Street. Nothing could be further from the truth!
We can’t seem to have a logical discussion about critical issues these days; why is it when Jack points out some facts that are actually occurring in the classroom, he is attacked for hating special education students and being intolerant. Maybe he is voicing his opinion because he cares about the status of special ed and the services these students are being provided…only those parents with special ed students can be critical and the rest are demonized? Because of the law, special ed students are given a lot of deserved attention so I am not sure where all your anger is directed. The system is a work in progress but to not pass the bonds affects ALL students. After all, all students are affected by the needs of diverse populations and ALL students have diverse needs. A discussion about how to best serve kids is important and defensive name calling doesn’t solve anything….VOTE YES ON ALL 3 PROPOSITIONS!
After reading the posts on several of the threads on this website, I have concluded the following:
- Parents of kids with disabilities think their kids don’t get enough services.
- Parents of intellectually gifted students don’t think their kids get adequate attention.
- Parents of kids who are “in the middle” don’t think their kids get adequate attention.
- Parents of kids who don’t play a sport think that too much money is spent on athletics.
- Parents of kids who play a sport would like to see additional funding, i.e., indoor facility, natatorium, etc.
- I think you get the point.
If all of these groups are so unhappy, the school board must be doing something right.
Sniping at special education is a red herring that shouldn’t overshadow important questions about the bond election. This bond will triple the district’s debt, adding $20,000 owed for each EISD student, and this is only the first of three planned bond issues. Student enrollment and revenues are in decline. The superintendent has warned of severe operations budget cuts over the coming years. Already the district is operating in a multi-million deficit, spending its savings account fast. These are facts. So although all of us would love to see new and improved facilities, a rational person must ask, is now the time and is the plan before us really the best one? Here are some other reasons to be concerned: The facilities director himself has told the board that he does not have confidence in the bond numbers. Buried in Proposition 1 is several million dollars of artificial turf for a football field that board members themselves pointed out will probably have to be replaced in just five years due to soil instability in the area, and improvements to the Jumbotron. Proposition 2 (billed as the elementary school bond) includes a dramatically expanded and newly renovated central administration building. Proposition 3 includes a swimming center that would cost an estimated $600,000 a year to operate and maintain. All of this in the middle of a global financial crisis, and just before the Texas legislature meets and potentially slashes local education dollars even further. A logical discussion merits an examination of these facts.
When something is repeated often enough, there is a danger that the public will believe it to be true. Posts 13 and 17 are filled with biased, unsupported, misinformation. Re-read them. In those posts the author states that children with disabilities, ie, children in special education:
1) are allowed to misbehave with impunity;
2) don’t work as hard but get the same rewards;
3) disrupt classrooms;
4) all have 1:1 aides that waste district funds;
5) are swimming in teachers and resources while others suffer.
6) scare teachers into passing them by threatening lawsuits.
These posts go on to state that their parents and teachers are not preparing these children to live in the real world, and that coddling them like we do keeps them from being prepared to deal with life.
None of that is true; all of it was stated as fact. Why might a parent of a child with disabilities find those comments offensive and demeaning? After all, he’s only categorized us as litigious sycophants who expect the world to accommodate our child’s extreme behavior and our children as lazy, mean, and wasteful. What’s offensive and demeaning about that?
As for your question, it is my fervent wish that parents of typical children would take the time to know how special education students should be served in an exemplary school. Man, would I love to have a typical parent without “skin in the game” advocate for better and more inclusive special education at EISD. Trust me, that would be the answer to many parent’s prayers.
But before you comment on the intricacies of special education, please invest the time to understand IDEA, FERPA, ADA, the best practices for teaching children with a diagnosis of [fill in the blank], the particulars of the disability manifests itself, when behavior is controllable (ie willful) and when it is not because it is just part of the child’s disability, etc. etc. etc. If you invest the time to learn about special education, we would welcome your input as to how to make Special education better in the EISD.
I have two typical kids; both are WHS grads. I know what “the other side” looks like in EISD. Perhaps you have personal experience in both worlds, as well, Ms Stanberg. If so, then state your credentials for commenting on how special education is conducted in EISD today. If not, then please allow for the possibility that those of us with children in both camps may have a broader understanding of the issues than someone who does not. You are of course entitled to your opinions; I would only hope that you would want to base your opinions on knowledge.
I sincerely doubt any caring person would think that adults should be able to hurl untruths and myths and outright lies about children from the sidelines and not be called on the carpet for it. If you think I’m name calling, then I’m afraid you and I will simply have to agree to disagree, because it isn’t name calling if it is true.
I’m not angry, Ms Stanberg. I am focused. I have skin in this game. I have a child with special needs. If I’m not there to advocate for him, and others like him, who will?
“Agre”–I disagree. Our tradition in Eanes is communication and collaboration with the community. When that happens, far more people are happy. Shutting off communication means many families feel disenfranchised. While I like a lot of the board members personally, no, they’re not doing their job. They haven’t provided the leadership to administration of our community values nor have they been good stewards of our district finances. The buck stops at the top. It’s time for a change! Reject these three bonds and insist the board institute internal controls and real figures for a critical needs bond in May, which should include the long overdue improvements to Eanes Elementary.
Regular ed, special ed, funny ed or strange ed. Under no circumstance should this bond package be allowed to pass. Kill it now
Mr. Shepherd, these posts are rife with “biased, unsupported misinformation” that are then repeated as fact and truth. It is an unfortunate epidemic in our community and eliminates any opportunity for our citizens to have a logical and reasonable debate based on accurate information. You join a long list of individuals and causes that may have been unfairly portrayed on this site.
An example, – there are probably a dozen or more posts that state as fact that the district’s enrollment is declining, while at the same time this article is on the same website.
http://westlakepicayune.com/2010/08/27/enrollment-up-sharply-at-eanes-elementary-school/
Agre – you are spot on. This is a community of special interests and it is the trustees and administration’s job to balance all our increasingly screeching demands. I am grateful to them all for enduring the clamor.
p.s. I would add another observation to agre’s post
- the parents of kids who have graduated think we spend too much and shouldn’t have any bonds ….ever
A tale of two … take a closer look. The enrollment in one school (up or down) is not the end of the story. Remove all the transfers and then we’ll talk increase or decline in Eanes ISD enrollment.
Students who live in the district are leaving the district for homeschool and private school. Whether you care about those children and their reasons for leaving Eanes ISD is your choice.
One fact does not illustrate the trend.
It’s true that enrollment at Eanes Elementary is up dramatically thanks in large part to the resurgence of Rollingwood. Enrollment district wide is declining. The board has been told that. Dr. Wellman reports that EISD as a whole can expect declining enrollment district wide for the next several years. We now need about 760 out of district transfers to maintain a student population of about 7600. Do that math, and you’ll see that while EISD had about 7500 resident students in 2003, it has less than 6900 today.
What the Picayune article points out is that the growth which is being used to justify the new “Valley View” isn’t limited to the land outside 360. It’s an inconvenient fact that VV didn’t grow this year, while Eanes exploded.
Carl
The enrollment can be “up” in one school during one year and that does not mean that Eanes ISD enrollment is up. Subtract the transfer students. Want “accurate information”? Then do the research. Look further than one article on one school enrollment for one year. Get the documents that prove your point(s). If you will. If you can.
Eanes ISD is a public school. It is not a sports magnet. We don’t need an indoor football field when we can’t hire teachers or maintain the property that we already have. Sure there will be a contingency with “screeching demands” for more and better athletic facilities. And yes, the present board has a majority that is joined at the hip with those who are screeching for a new jumbotron, more astroturf, and bigger and better sport facilities.
They can screech and we can vote No. And No. And No. I am grateful for that.
The vast majority of people who oppose all three bonds ARE in favor of a bond issue to address the critical needs of the district, including Eanes Elementary. However, the school board should not be putting bonds in front of us in which the school facilities manager says he can’t trust the numbers. People familiar with construction agree. And no one needs to be a construction genius to question the $17 or $19 million of technology–hardware, software, servers? Just technology.
Without hard numbers and internal controls, we can no longer afford bond issues that create slush funds for the administration to spend on a wide variety of projects that are somehow generally described in the bond. The technology “budget” is a prime example. How is it that despite repeated voter approval, we had no more money for ADA improvements, but spent an alleged (in a community newspaper) $450,000 on signs around WHS without even consulting with the City of WLH?
This isn’t about nay-saying–it’s about financial responsibility and using our legally limited funds wisely. Anyone who looks at these facts with any objectivity quickly realizes the significant problems. We just need everyone to take the time to examine the facts before they vote. There is a better way.
“We’ve added teachers at Bridge Point, Cedar Creek and Valley View elementary schools as well as at Eanes,” she said. “Enrollment on Tuesday was up over 7,600 students, compared to around 7,500 at the end of last year. We are still in the process of doing a little shuffling.” Wellman said that the increases were coming from resident students, which has led the district to decrease the number of transfer students it accepted this year.
“Added teachers” only means that we hired new teachers. There is only a small net increase in teachers overall. Dr. Wellman is famous for such hair splitting, so you have to pay attention.
The narrative that Dr. Wellman is following is that the district is growing, so she omits to ever put two facts into the same soundbite.
Here are the two facts. This year we have accepted 760+/- out of district transfers and the total census of students is 7600.
That means the true, in district student population is approximately 6,840. This does not fit her narrative, because she wants to raise $150MM in new debt. Who would agree to raise that in the face of declining enrollment? Most people would not. So Dr. Wellman is all to happy to site the total population number knowing full well that she is using it out of context, because the context doesn’t serve her purpose.
District enrollment is falling. Sure read the article, but once you start, read everything!
And once you do, I bet you decide to vote no on all the bonds, as well.
There is a demographic study on the Eanes website that shows a historical increase in the resident student population each year over the last 6 years. That supports that there is a trend of climbing, not falling, enrollment of residents.
http://www.eanesbond.org
There may a good point or two why bonds are needed, but given the economy, the lack of transparency of the Eanes administration, and overwhelming feeling in the community the bonds are a very bad idea , it will not pass. Hopefully, the no vote will be large enough and loud enough the Board will get the message.
There are a lot of great reasons to support the bond(s).
Don’t focus on the poor economy of today. Think long term. There will be more good times and bad during the 20 years of paying back the debt.
Transparency is alive and well. Check the EISD website. Talk to board members, talk to principals, do some research. The info is there if you really want to learn.
Only the voters in November can decide. Many believe there is a silent majority ready to vote “yes”.
I’ll vote no on the bonds based on the superintendent’s intent and actions to keep public information away from the public. Even the board members are unable to get the information they need to do their jobs. And the check register? Have you noticed that it is missing essential parts of a register such as the accounting codes and check numbers. Why?
Positive thoughts are great! Having the courage to face facts even greater. There is no denying the fact that some information is available on the Eanes website, but only those the superintendent approves. Ask to see the Deloitte independent construction audit for a recent bond identifying approximately $663,000.00 of questionable payments to contractors. It’s tough to think positive when reading that report which of course is not posted on the Eanes website, and took assistance from the county attorney to access. I’ll vote no until we have administrators and a board majority we can trust with our bond money.
To post 35: the demographic report on the EISD website clearly shows that EISD has flat to declining native enrollment. The chart shows total student enrollment, including out of district transfers.
In 2003, the last year that we did not accept OODTs, the EISD native student population was around 7000. The native population in 2009 was, according to this report, 6935. And that is a 2% increase over 2008, which the report says is the first uptick in 6 years.
Don’t spout the districts PR. EISD has flat to declining enrollment, and projects that into the future. It is in the report. Just read it.
Without transfer students, we would not need 6 elementary schools. That is perfectly clear in the report.