BARTLETT, Texas (KXXV) — Community members gathered at Mount Ararat Baptist Church to discuss the Bartlett school system's plan to borrow an additional $16.8 million through a new bond on the May ballot.
The proposal comes four years after voters approved a $20 million bond in 2022 to improve infrastructure across the district. Due to rising costs and a change in the city's building code, the district did not have enough money to complete the projects.
"We have to build our kids different. So when they step into other places, other arenas, they can measure up. That just means when you are when you have mastered grade level. You're prepared for that, whether that's college, whether that's something higher than college, or if there's trade school, you can walk in and make it work," Bruce Carter, a local homeowner, said.
The community-led meeting was filled with questions from neighbors regarding the bond and the impact it will have. The district's superintendent was not present to answer questions.
"Me being a single mother, every penny counts. So my taxes went up for a bond that was years ago for stuff that’s still not complete," Adriana Tyslon said.
Bartlett Mayor Chad Mees explained the impact of the city's building code changes on the district's costs.
"The city code team is new. Before that you could pull permit with the city for 10 bucks, no inspection, no rules to follow basically," Mees said.
The new bond will be split into three propositions:
Proposition A is for $12.5 million to finish construction projects funded by the 2022 bond and bring more renovations to current buildings.
Propositions B and C would grant the district permission to move existing debt from its maintenance and operations fund into its interest and sinking fund.
"Those two, according to the superintendent were loans they took out without your permission. Because by law, they didn't have to have your permission. Now they want you to pay for their mistake," Bruce Carter said.
Per state law, the district has already raised its taxes as high as legally allowed and reached the maximum amount of money it must set aside to help pay the bond. If the new bond is approved, taxes cannot be raised any higher, but it will take longer for the district to pay off the debt.
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