Vote YES HUMBLE ISD BOND ELECTION
Lake Houston Area Chamber endorses Humble ISD school bond issue BY TOM BROAD PHOTOS AND GRAPHICS PROVIDED BY HUMBLE ISD
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ood schools and strong local economies go hand in hand. That’s one of many reasons why the Board of Directors of the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce unanimously passed a resolution supporting the Humble ISD School Bond Issue that goes before Lake Houston Area voters in the Humble ISD region on May 5. “The Humble ISD school bond is essential to the growth of our community,” Public Affairs Committee Chair Terry Vaughn said. “A strong school district helps attract families and businesses to our area, so this bond is an investment in the economic future of the Lake Houston Area. Since this bond doesn’t raise taxes, it’s a win-win.” Humble ISD residents are encouraged to go to the polls to vote in favor of the $575 million bond referendum. Early voting begins Monday, April 23. Election day is Saturday, May 5. No tax rate increase is needed to issue the proposed bonds, according to district officials. The district has kept the same tax rate for the past 10 years and expects to keep that rate for at least another six years. A Citizens Bond Advisory Committee, made up of 98 parents, residents, district employees, business leaders, community leaders and students, met for six public sessions in 2017 to create a report of their suggestions which they presented to the Humble ISD Board of Trustees. PBK Architects, Inc. conducted an exhaustive assessment of all Humble ISD facilities, analyzing the replacement cost of an aging facility versus the cost to make repairs. The result was a call by the School Board for a $575 million bond package. The projects include: • Building one elementary school and one middle school • Building a second transportation center near Kingwood • Rebuilding Lakeland Elementary School • Rebuilding Kingwood Middle School
• Rebuilding the northern agricultural barn • Adding classrooms at Atascocita High School • A dding a third gymnasium at high schools currently without one • A dding a multipurpose room/gym at 22 elementary schools and the Community Learning Center • Renovating the Charles Street Stadium • Renovating Career and Technical Education classrooms • Adding field turf at four high school campuses • Installing wood gym floors at seven middle schools • Installing field turf at the baseball/softball complex • E xpanding the District Police Station and updating school fire and safety systems • Updating the District’s technology infrastructure • R epairing and replacing roofs, air-conditioning systems and other building components
Lakeland Elementary School
“We’re a fast-growing district, growing at a thousand students a year,” Dr. Roger Brown, Humble ISD deputy superintendent and chief academic officer said. “To meet that growth, we built Groves Elementary and West Lake Middle, but we reached the point where we exhausted funds from the 2008 bond.” And, if the bond referendum doesn’t pass? “Humble ISD will have to make do with older, deteriorating facilities and find room for those additional thousand students, probably by continuing to add temporary buildings,” Dr. Brown said. Local business owner and resident Connie Chandler, a member of the Citizen Bond Advisory Committee and active member of the Lake Houston Area Chamber, is an enthusiastic supporter of the bond issue.
Kingwood Middle School
“We have a highly respected, award-winning school district,” Chandler said, “and we want it to stay that way. As a business owner and a residential property owner, I’m always concerned with keeping us ‘the best of the best.’ A quality education system will ensure that our Lake Houston businesses continue to grow, and our property values will stay where they shouldw be.” Robert Scarfo was also a member of the Citizen Bond Advisory Committee. He’s a former Humble ISD trustee with a financial background who lives and works in the Lake Houston Area and considers himself a frugal person. “I’m fiscally conservative,” Scarfo admits. “I look at things hard and, frankly, I say our bond proposal is a pretty good return on our tax money because those updated and new facilities will keep our kids engaged. That’s important. It helps the curriculum side of their education.” What drives property values the most, Scarfo believes, is potential residents asking what the school district is like, how
it’s rated, how good is it. He’s convinced that a big motivator for businesses is moving to an area with access to good employees. “Even if you don’t have kids in school and don’t really care about education, you’d have to conclude that we have to support this bond issue because it helps all of us,” Scarfo said. “We need to support it because it helps keep our property values where they are.” The Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce believes that keeping our schools strong will make Lake Houston more attractive to employers. A strong school district will continue to attract young professionals with families. And, most important, strong schools will prepare our future workforce and community leaders for the challenges of tomorrow. For more information about the Humble ISD 2018 bond proposal, go to www.humbleisd.net/bondelection2018. Find polling locations for early voting and voting day at www. humbleisd.net/Page/101856.