BISD Trustees call for November bond election

By Harvey Jackson Oss

The Belton Journal

The Belton ISD Board of Trustees held a special meeting the afternoon of Thursday, August 14 to discuss adding a call for a bond election to be placed on the November ballot.

Proposition A provides $92.9 million for general needs, Proposition B provides $43.7 million for high school stadium, Proposition C provides $6 million for technology devices, and Proposition D provides $19.2 million for a swim center.

Board President Manuel Alcozer opened the meeting at 5:01 p.m. by inviting community members to speak.

The first to speak was Dan Stall, a resident of Belton for over 20 years. Stall expressed his support for B, which seeks to improve the fields at Belton and Lake Belton High Schools.

“These fields are cornerstones of our communities,” said Stall. Stall spoke on the field’s outdated lighting, poor turf, and non-accessible seating, and said that Lake Belton athletes suffer unequal treatment while using Tiger Field.

A second community member, Mark Shepard, took the stand after Stall in support of the four measures. Shepard addressed tax increase concerns, noting that under Texas law residents aged 65 and up are not subject to tax increases to fund schools. Median homeowners under 65 would experience an annual property tax increase of under $6. Shepard argued that the last bond issue in 2022 had missed important problem areas that the new bond could rectify.

Superintendent Malinda Golden then spoke on the background of the bond proposals.

A $160 million bond was passed in 2017, as well as the aforementioned $168.8 million bond in 2022. 30 percent of BISD’s total 2.5 million square feet facility space has been acquired in the time since the first bond in 2017. Golden explained that the current proposal had gone through a rigorous process including multiple surveys. Trustees gave their final opinions on the bond proposals. Jeff Norwood spoke in support of the measures, stating that “good communities have good schools.” He thanked the advisory committee for their work in creating the bond plan. Rucker Preston spoke about the importance of parent input in the planning process. Chris Flor elaborated on the stadium bond, stating “this is not an investment in football… this is an investment in the pride and respect of two communities.” He explained how giving Lake Belton a functional stadium would allow Bronco athletes to truly experience home field pride. Erin Bass continued on the topic of BHS and LBHS sharing Tiger Field, stating “the inefficiencies and the inequalities… it’s real.” Riley Beck briefly gave a dissenting opinion on the bonds. He mentioned that hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on building new facilities just recently. Beck commented on the natatorium and technology bonds, calling them “a great opportunity for voters to vote on.” Beck noted that he holds a different opinion from the community speakers on the stadiums bond, citing concerns about the unrealistic goal of equality between the two high schools. Alcozer gave his opinion on the bonds, stating that the small tax increase would be “a lot of bang for the buck.” He elaborated that he believes it is up to the community to make the decision, stating “I don’t think that I could vote against something like this.” Alcozer moved for a vote on including the four propositions on the November election ballot. Bass seconded the vote, and the proposal passed 6-1, Beck being the only “No”. The meeting adjourned at 5:52 p.m.The Belton ISD Board of Trustees held a special meeting the afternoon of Thursday, August 14 to discuss adding a call for a bond election to be placed on the November ballot.

Proposition A provides $92.9 million for general needs, Proposition B provides $43.7 million for high school stadium, Proposition C provides $6 million for technology devices, and Proposition D provides $19.2 million for a swim center.

Board President Manuel Alcozer opened the meeting at 5:01 p.m. by inviting community members to speak.

The first to speak was Dan Stall, a resident of Belton for over 20 years. Stall expressed his support for B, which seeks to improve the fields at Belton and Lake Belton High Schools.

“These fields are cornerstones of our communities,” said Stall. Stall spoke on the field’s outdated lighting, poor turf, and non-accessible seating, and said that Lake Belton athletes suffer unequal treatment while using Tiger Field.

A second community member, Mark Shepard, took the stand after Stall in support of the four measures. Shepard addressed tax increase concerns, noting that under Texas law residents aged 65 and up are not subject to tax increases to fund schools. Median homeowners under 65 would experience an annual property tax increase of under $6. Shepard argued that the last bond issue in 2022 had missed important problem areas that the new bond could rectify.

Superintendent Malinda Golden then spoke on the background of the bond proposals.