1. How do you feel about transparency in HCISD business matters?
2. Is it ok for a sitting school board member to lease a house owned by the district at a discount and not honor the terms of the lease? Is it ok for HCISD to not enforce the lease terms?
3. Is it acceptable to spend twice the amount per student on 89 students at the Academy, which has a 10-year record of failure and the lowest attendance rate in the district?
4. Is it ok to tell taxpayers we can pass bonds with no tax increase because of increases in property values and not tell them we’re deferring the debt repayments by paying interest only on the bonds for 22 years?
5. If experience is important in these races, was it experience that concluded it was ok to award Dr. London $10,000 each year in “retention bonuses” described as “one time payments”, even though he held a 5-year contract?
6. How do you feel about allowing the former Superintendent to draw $15,000 in monthly pay while also drawing $12,000 in retirement from the $44 Billion under funded Teacher Retirement System?
7. Is it ok to prioritize building a new deck on the rental to a sitting school board member ahead of classroom maintenance?
8. Was it experience and leadership that contributed to the agreement to pay Dr. London $750/day as a consultant beginning March 1, 2009?
9. Is it ok that HCISD’s budget consistently exceeds inflation and enrollment growth combined?
10. Is it experience that concludes it is ok, despite record spending, that Hays High School’s SAT scores have plummeted 86 points while the state average has increased during this same time period?
The best way to help students is not burden them with ever increasing services and debt and to fix academics. Current students will get to pay the lion’s share of depreciated facilities when they become adults. That’s hardly fair.
Education is everybody’s business.
Bryce C. Bales
Manchaca
