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SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES
COLUMBUS — The concerned residents gathered at the Nesbitt Memorial Library to meet various school board candidates from Columbus and Weimar Independent School Districts and ask questions about the upcoming school bond elections.
Before meeting the candidates and asking questions, the attendees listened to a presentation by CISD Superintendent Jim Connor as he explained the upcoming bonds on the May 4 ballot.
In his presentation, he explained that proposition A on the bond election is $8,440,000 in bond funds for new classrooms and renovations on older classrooms at Columbus Elementary School.
Proposition B would secure $5,320,000 in funds for a new Career Technology Building for CHS.
Connor explained that if either or both of the propositions pass, the school district tax rate would decrease as they look to consolidate old bonds into the new proposed bonds. Currently, the school board has an agreement on their old bonds that compels them to pay more than their scheduled cost to cut down the length of active debt time.
According to the superintendent, if both propositions pass, the tax rate per $100 will drop to $0.83 from $0.88. If just Prop A passes, the rate would drop to $0.81. If just Prop B passes, the rate would drop to $0.79.
Many of the concerns expressed at the town hall related to the amount of transparency throughout the bond and construction process for the CTE building, as well as the refinancing of the old bonds themselves.
Residents questioned why they could not see a line-item request form for each of the purchases necessary for the CTE building and the Elementary School renovations. The remaining school board members countered by saying that no budget could be created without first having a successful bond election.
If the bond passes, the school board has vowed to have a transparent process through their selected Bond Committee. Committee meetings will be subject to the open meetings act, and according to the board, their decisions will also be transparent as purchases using bond funds come to fruition.
Other concerns included some skepticism at the lowering tax rate. Residents believed that a new building would raise the school management tax rate for salaries and other daily costs for schools. The superintendent and school board assured residents that the rate would stay the same. Only the tax rate involved with bonds and debt would change, allegedly decreasing if the bonds pass.
Overall, despite residents’ concerns regarding transparency and the legitimacy of the proposed tax decrease, the school board assured that the process would be open to public view should either or both of the bonds pass.
The impending bond election has been a highly discussed topic throughout Columbus this election cycle. With early voting starting this past Monday, April 22, the county prepares for the Saturday, May 4 election.
