Bond election closes in on BISD Posted On: Thursday, Oct. 29 2009 04:10 AM By Hailey Persinger
Killeen Daily Herald

As early voting draws to a close and next week's election nears, Belton Independent School District officials hope for a higher voter turnout for its bond election than it had in May.

The $29 million bond, if approved by voters, will go toward the construction of a new middle school that building officials say the district desperately needs as it continues to swell by at least 300 new students each year.

Voters shot down a similar bond in May, rejecting a $38.9 million proposal that included the middle school, technology updates and athletics facilities.

While he has heard some residents' concerns about the proposed tax hike of 5.4 cents per $100 of assessed property value, Randy Pittenger, president of the Belton ISD board, said the issue failed in May mostly because of a lack of knowledge about the proposal.

"Based on the (May) election failing by 85 votes, it kind of was a wake-up call," Pittenger said. "People said, 'Oh my, we need to help get the information out' and, of course, the district staff and the school board are very committed to getting the information out."

Though the district itself cannot endorse the bond, it has received help from a political action committee formed by Belton residents and BISD parents earlier this year.

An informal PAC existed before the May election, Pittenger said, but its members did not mobilize until after voters rejected the measure.

While the PAC has been more vocal about its opinion, Pittenger said the real test will be Tuesday when voters head to the polls.

"Time will tell how successful we were at … getting the info about they need … getting the vote out and … people believing that this is the right plan," he said. "It's hard to predict."

But not everyone feels that Tuesday's election is worth voters' time. John Galligan, a Belton attorney, said the district should have listened to voters in May.

Scaling back the bond from its original $38.9 million won't make much difference to the opposition, he said.

"They've made up their mind that they want this thing and they're going to continue to do cosmetic changes to it and throw it out on the public until they finally get what they want," he said.

While Galligan said he understands the schools' capacity issues, he believes BISD's proposals should focus on putting more teachers in classrooms instead of brand-new buildings and other amenities.

"We need to get back to the basics," he said. "We all love our children, we all want what's best for them. But we're living in some really unique times."

Contact Hailey Persinger at haileyp@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7568.