Seriously?

[curtintex]

They could have built 9 stadiums with steel bleachers in a rice field somewhere for 1/4 the cost. But no, they had to have the biggest.

Wait....I think the Katy Stadium budget was $75MM-$90MM. So you're telling me that you could find nine 10ac sites near each respective high school, provide engineering and design, put in access roads, underground utilities, detention for drainage, metal bleachers to accommodate the fan base, concession stands, plumbing for restrooms, sub-field drainage, turf or grass fields, goal posts, locker rooms, lights, scoreboards, parking lots, and do it all for less than $10MM? Don't forget the maintenance on 9 facilities and the need to add a stadium when you add HS #10. I think that is very highly unlikely and logistically no feasible.

[Charles]

Stop your complaining...it's for the children

[Radar]

You know all these large stadiums are done via a bond that is voted on by the citizens. So, who is really at fault for the higher taxes?

Floresville ISD just had a vote on another bond a few months ago, only 1500 people voted and it was turned down. I voted no, my property taxes would have went up almost 500.00. The problem is most folks dont even know about a bond till its too late, if your child is out of school and you do not get the local paper, you will not know about it. Plus Floresville ISD does not do a good job of disclosing the voting places.

I am well aware of how all the bonds work. I even bought into quite a few of them when they were paying 4-5% interest. Unfortunately the monies are so mismanaged that every two years seems like another school bond is being voted on.

[bigbad243]

This is more of a frustration rant. I feel like the building and property belong to Allen ISD. If repairs or upgrades are needed, the district needs to foot the bill with the tax dollars the citizens are paying. The classroom stuff is not as big a deal. It just gets frustrating when every e-mail you open is asking for more $ in some form or fashion.

I get it, but it is misguided. By your own admission you said it wasn't the PTA asking for the money, but it is/was. There shouldn't be anything to be frustrated about, it is a donation, you don't have to do it.

[Goldeneagle]

I get it, but it is misguided. By your own admission you said it wasn't the PTA asking for the money, but it is/was. There shouldn't be anything to be frustrated about, it is a donation, you don't have to do it.

The actual e-mail I got had no reference to PTA. It only said Friends of Anderson. I didn't know.

[WItoTX]

Wait....I think the Katy Stadium budget was $75MM-$90MM. So you're telling me that you could find nine 10ac sites near each respective high school, provide engineering and design, put in access roads, underground utilities, detention for drainage, metal bleachers to accommodate the fan base, concession stands, plumbing for restrooms, sub-field drainage, turf or grass fields, goal posts, locker rooms, lights, scoreboards, parking lots, and do it all for less than $10MM? Don't forget the maintenance on 9 facilities and the need to add a stadium when you add HS #10. I think that is very highly unlikely and logistically no feasible.

Before you even get that far. If I have zero dollars, and I want a new truck, guess what? I don't get to buy the truck. But lets look past that part of this, because my finance philosophy is not the majority of society.

So if I agree that all those things are requirements, then I agree, you have a point.

That being said, not all those things are necessary. No doubt, there are costs associated with land acquisition (To the extent its necessary), excavation, and site prep, along with things like lighting and other misc. materials. Won't argue there.

Beyond that, things can be done to reduce expense, like getting the basics first, then adding over time, as money becomes available. Growing up, if we wanted something at our football/baseball fields, we had a high school class, such as woods, or metals, or marketing make it happen. Marketing ran concessions, woods built the structure for concessions, metals assembled the bleachers, Woods and metals poured the concrete. But my understanding is most schools did away with classes like that a long time ago. We got artificial grass the last year I was in high school. We set up a bond for it, the football players fund-raised for it, and went door to door asking residents to vote yes for the field, and we got the money we needed to build it, by itself, with a bond. Never once have I seen a Katy football player come to my house asking me to vote yes for that stadium, or even a thank you from the superintendent who pushed for it.

If anyone takes an objective view at this, they would see the ridiculousness of a $75 to 90MM stadium for high schoolers who have less than .1% chance of going beyond HS with football scholarships.

[67olds442]

When I lived near Azle they had a bond election and it got approved. It was funny to see on nextdoor the next year everybody complaining about how their taxes increased. Most folks didn't even realize that would happen.

[JonBoy]

I understand the frustration about football having huge stadiums to play football in, but unless you live in that community, you shouldn't complain. Also, big ticket items such as new schools and football stadiums are not part of a regular school budget. Those things are paid for with bonds. The people in the community vote on bonds which specifically list where and how the money for the bond will be spent. So, the majority of the people that live in these communities are ok with the large stadiums. If they weren't, the bond would have never passed to build it.

Not necessarily. I grew up in Converse and went to Judson HS...when JISD floats a bond that fails they just keep putting it up for vote until people get too tired (or lazy) of voting it down. Currently JISD is working on its 4th bond proposal for building the same HS that keeps being voted down. Same thing happened when they built the current Judson HS & Judson stadium...only after the bond was passed the person who received the contract was later found (after massive schedule & budget overruns) to have been related to one of the board members. Source

[dhillis]

Not necessarily. I grew up in Converse and went to Judson HS...when JISD floats a bond that fails they just keep putting it up for vote until people get too tired (or lazy) of voting it down. Currently JISD is working on its 4th bond proposal for building the same HS that keeps being voted down. Same thing happened when they built the current Judson HS & Judson stadium...only after the bond was passed the person who received the contract was later found (after massive schedule & budget overruns) to have been related to one of the board members. Source

well they could just keep voting no?? Isn't that an option?

[bigbad243]

Not necessarily. I grew up in Converse and went to Judson HS...when JISD floats a bond that fails they just keep putting it up for vote until people get too tired (or lazy) of voting it down. Currently JISD is working on its 4th bond proposal for building the same HS that keeps being voted down. Same thing happened when they built the current Judson HS & Judson stadium...only after the bond was passed the person who received the contract was later found (after massive schedule & budget overruns) to have been related to one of the board members. Source

Where do you want them to put the kids?

[3DW5]

School boards in general are no different from any other politicians. They are good at spending "our" money. Seguin ISD recently spent $1,000,000 on a football field score board.

And guess what, that money will be made back within 3 years because of advertising on that score board. Its important to know the facts.

[WItoTX]

And guess what, that money will be made back within 3 years because of advertising on that score board. Its important to know the facts.

How much do they make per advertisement on the board? Katy ISD said that same thing, and I haven't seen a figure for how much they actually make back per advertisement spot.

No doubt they get paid, but it would be interesting to know the real numbers, not just "We will get paid back".

[3DW5]

Its a reoccurring theme for districts. Crosby ISD is broke and looking at mid year layoffs. Prior administration officials overspent by million dollars over the last 3 school years and now we are having to dig out of the hole. Its going to be a mess for a while. Teachers have been told they shouldn't use copy paper and are having to email parents to setup classroom donations so that they have enough supplies to make effective lessons for the kids.

FWIW, the playgrounds that are "approved" are much more expensive than you think. Our Kindergarten Center is trying to fund raise for a new playground and its around $75k....and doesn't get you near what you think it should.

Crosby ISD also has the lowest taxes around, a simply bond would fix those issues.

[Drycreek3189]

Texas is ridiculous with football. Tons of wasted money on sports when it should be invested in things that will help in the workforce. At least the fast food industry will never have an employee shortage.

You are preaching gospel ! Unfortunately, it will mostly fall on deaf ears.

[3DW5]

How much do they make per advertisement on the board? Katy ISD said that same thing, and I haven't seen a figure for how much they actually make back per advertisement spot.

No doubt they get paid, but it would be interesting to know the real numbers, not just "We will get paid back".

Not going to lie and say I know the numbers but I know ours cost more than that and it was paid off in 3 years, and since then everything has been pure profit. However you get people in the community who have no clue and they bad mouth the schools saying why do they need that, well it generates revenue.