Leander Independent School District
May 2023 Bond Propositions

Leander Independent School District (LISD) has three Propositions on the May 2023 ballot. Leander Area Republican Women (LeanderARW) understands there are several factors to consider when making your decision about the LISD May 2023 propositions. The fact that you are here reading this information, indicates you are taking a sincere interest in our next generation.

Donate or Volunteer

Please consider donating to help cover the costs of advertisements, yard signs, handouts, and possible road signs. Volunteer to block walk to inform voters, put a sign in your front yard, call voters, electioneer at the polls, or host an informational meeting. Thank you for your donation and volunteering your time!

Important 2023 Election Dates

ELECTION DAY: Saturday, May 6th
EARLY VOTING: Monday, April 24th - Tuesday, May 2nd
VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Thursday, April 6th
APPLY TO VOTE BY MAIL DEADLINE: Tuesday, April 25th
For more information on how to register to vote, voting locations, and sample ballots check the Travis County and Williamson County elections websites.

$762.82 Million for Propositions

Prop A: $698.33 million for school facilities, buses and vehicles
Prop B: $50.82 million for technology equipment and infrastructure
Prop C: $13.67 million for renovations to LISD’s two performing arts centers
Under a compressed time frame and often without full information, the LISD Citizens’ Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC) did a commendable job assessing the needs of the district and prioritizing the projects. Some of the difficulties cited by members of the CFAC were:
  1. Items initially labeled “HVAC" were actually multimillion dollar complete school remodels
  2. “Dot” assignment ranking system that allowed certain members to unilaterally ensure their pet projects made the final list
  3. Time frame that severely limited their ability to thoroughly assess the needs of the community
  4. The addition of the Board’s Long Range Plan projects which were not subject to the sub-committee process
Despite these challenges, the CFAC was able to agree on recommendations between $550 Million - $600 Million. With regard to the overall size of the bond, school Board Trustee Anna Smith, Place 4, stated during the process, “I want to go big or go home... Whether we go for $720 vs $850, I feel like there is no difference here.” This is not the attitude our elected leaders should have with regard to school funding and being fiscally responsible with taxpayer money.

It is the recommendation of LeanderARW that voters should
Vote NO to $698 Million Proposition A

LeanderARW has partnered with Texas Parents United, and Wilco 100 to help inform voters on the upcoming LISD Proposition A. Together, we have spent numerous hours of research and held many discussions with parents and community members to provide important information on LISD Proposition A. We acknowledge the shared concerns of a large portion of this community in that LISD has become a low-accountability school system that is academically, socially and fundamentally failing our children. It is critical for the future of this district for you to deeply consider the intricacies of each of these propositions, not simply Proposition A, before heading to the polls.

Why Do We Have To Pay The Bonds?

Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election (VATRE) taught us that LISD STUDENT ENROLLMENT DROPPED, and LISD HAS A SURPLUS OF SCHOOL TAX REVENUE. On November 8, 2022, LISD voters approved to payback the surplus to the State of Texas by voting yes on Prop A.  LISD voters also votes yes on PROP B – VATRE or 1.2746 PER $100, AN INCREASE OF 35% IN LISD Maintenance and Operations (M&O) Budget.
 
Yet, on May 6, 2023, LISD is asking for $698M in Bonds. Here are a few examples of government spending at work:
  1. Animals that need heat lamps. No, no they don’t.
  2. Roof that needs repairs. Isn’t that what M&O is for?
  3. A shower that runs 24/7 in a locker room. Again M&O…
  4. $4.9 million in security measures. If passed this legislative session, will be funded by the State of Texas, not LISD.
Teacher raises were already approved in the 2023 LISD Budget, yet the school district pulled teachers out of their classrooms and threatened their jobs if Prop B didn’t pass. Now they are going to threaten parents… don’t be fooled!
 
School Security measures will be paid for by the State of Texas! Prop A does not account for student enrollment that keeps dropping! Five (5) new Charter schools will be opening and more students will be leaving! School Choice is not considered as a factor in LISD enrollment – meaning they are basing their budget on the 42k students not less.

At the March 9, 2023 LISD Board of Trustees meeting, Superintendent Dr. Gearing, proposed a 10-year Long Range Plan of bonds. Bonds are not FREE money and the debt of the bonds will have to be paid back. If these propositions are approved, LISD will come back and ask you for more money.

Increase Property Tax

Does passing the Bonds increase your taxes?
It increases the amount of debt that the school district takes on that you pay off with your taxes. So it does increase the taxes you will pay. 
 
Does it increase your tax rates?
Not necessarily, if the additional debt can be paid off within the current rates then there isn’t a need to increase the rates.  However, the interest paid on the bonds will increase. The district will not be able to continue the pattern of paying down the principle of the current debt and the debt load will increase. This could erode the school district’s finances that could result in reduction in the bond rating for the district. A reduction in the bond rating would increase the interest rates for new bonds. So the district will then increase the tax rates to avoid the bond rating change. Tax increase will likely result in maintaining the debt versus paying it off more quickly.
 
Why does the bond language say it increases your taxes if it is passed?
Because you will pay more taxes over your lifetime than if you didn’t pass it. Therefore it is a tax increase.

Repurposing Funds

If Prop A is approved, any funds not used within the bond may be repurposed for other projects by the Board of Trustees, not voted on by voters. The Board of Trustees will be able to reallocate those funds to other projects. However, they must submit their project and dollar amount to the Bond Oversight Committee (BOC) for review, first. If the project and money is approved by the BOC, the Board of Trustees will discuss plans at a school board meeting with the board approving the project themselves.

The first items listed on Prop A are for security improvements to all LISD schools. The total for these improvement is $4.9 million. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is working on security requirements for all Texas schools. When completed, the state will provide the funds needed to complete these critical security projects. These funds will then become available to the Board of Trustees to repurpose for other projects. Do you want the Board of Trustees repurposing the money for projects you didn't approve?

Support Critical Bonds

Hopeful that the LISD Board of Trustees would put together a reasonable bond package that included only what is needed, parents and community members are once again disappointed by the LISD Board of Trustees. Against the advice of Superintendent Dr. Gearing, the Board rushed to put an ill-conceived bond on the ballot this May. We support targeted bonds that are critical to our students success!

We propose the LISD Board of Trustees returns to the voters in November 2023 with a handful of targeted bond proposals that address only the immediate needs that are critical for student safety and success. Beyond that, we implore the Board of Trustees to conduct an extensive community listening project as recommended by Superintendent Dr. Gearing. They should take into consideration additional options for low-utilization schools, early childhood centers and the value of helping each Leander school become a "school of choice".

Why would we give a poor performing school district a financial boost, when VATRE was approved Nov 8th, and we are experiencing a recession? More than ever our schools must get back to teaching the building blocks and basics of academic excellence that made America great. Texas School districts comparable to LISD, perform better with less money.

We looks forward to supporting targeted bonds that are arrived at through a sound and strategic process; including important priority projects such as a new elementary school, security measures, southern bus depot, and multiple modernization projects.
“Let's repurpose them [the Citizens’ Facility Advisory Committee, or CFAC] and get them to help us engage in this extensive community listening project to help develop these options for long range facilities, including potential future bond Packages.”

"I don't think we can do that in the timeline we have and get something on the May ballot. If we do that, we rush. And if we rush we don't really hear what the community has to tell us." - Superintendent Dr. Gearing November 15, 2022

$161 Million in Long Term Projects

We all want what is best for students but proposing a bond to fund $161M over what the citizens recommended, and when students can’t pass the basics to get into college, does not make sense. Especially in a time, when we can’t afford groceries, gas and our college kids are coming back home. LISD Board of Trustees added $161 million, or 23%, more to the original proposed bond by the CFAC. The Board of Trustees did not discuss these items with CFAC or get any community input. Items include:
  • $50,000,000 - LEO Campus / New Hope HS Relocation – Repurpose / Modernization ES – Central
  • $37,000,000 - Early Childhood Center – Repurpose LEO Campus – North
  • $37,000,000 - Early Childhood Center – Repurpose ES – Central
  • $37,000,000 - Professional Learning Center – Repurpose ES – South

When pressed as to why LISD has projects in the Prop A bond related to school closures that have yet to be addressed with the community, the leadership explained that the closures and repurposing are just ideas of what they might do with the facilities, not projects that have been well thought out or even voted on by the Board. The LISD Board of Trustees is asking for $161 million so they can have the flexibility to decide how and when to spend it down the road. This is not fiscally responsible or sound project planning.

STOP Rewarding Poor Performing School District

Why would we give a poor performing school district a financial boost, when VATRE was approved Nov 8, 2022, and we are experiencing a recession? More than ever our schools must get back to teaching the building blocks and basics of academic excellence that made America great. Comparable Texas school districts are performing better with less money.

Compared to other Texas school districts, how is LISD performing? According to The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) 2022 Executive Summary, LISD schools are not performing very well:
 
LISD STAAR - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
  1. LISD District is well below Median, and below 25th percentile
    1. Sizeable districts with 2X or 3X Economically Disadvantaged population performed better
    2. 7 or 8 out of 10 districts performed better relative to Economically Disadvantaged population
  2. Campuses well below Median across the board
    1. 3 exceptions:
      1. ES: Bush and River Ridge well above Median
      2. MS: Stiles slightly above Median
    2. Below Median: 26/28 ES; 8/9 MS; 6/6 HS (93% of 43 campuses)
    3. Below 25th PCTL: 22/28 ES; 6/9 MS; 3/6 HS (72% of 43 campuses)
    4. Below 10th PCTL: 8/28 ES; 3/9 MS; 2/6 HS (30% of 43 campuses)
  3. Systemic performance problem with few bright spots internally to serve as models for improvement
  4. Best Districts to Study: Katy, Cy-Fair, H-E-B, Wylie, Coppell & Carroll

STOP Rewarding Bad Results and Vote NO on Prop A!