Longview Independent School District voters are being asked to vote on a $266.9 million bond that will significantly raise school taxes about 33 percent. This bond proposal will increase taxes for the next 28 years, not just for a few years, according to Southwest Securities.
School board President Sam Satterwhite said if the entire bond referendum were delayed five years, the estimated cost of the projects would rise about an additional $200 million. That is a 75 percent increase in the cost of the project based on future prices.
If costs can increase that much in five years, then so can property values and property taxes. So in five years we could expect more than just an increase in school taxes, but in taxes overall, including city and county property taxes.
Keep in mind that passing this bond is a tax increase for 28 years.
LISD has built a new campus and replaced several facilities in recent decades. In less than 28 years these campus/facilities have needed additions and upgrades.
LISD leaders have decided that taxpayers need to pay for $55.99 million in repairs/additions and $206.8 million to replace nine schools. Only $4 million is sought for technology for all schools.
The image they want to embed in our minds is that LISD campuses are an average of 48 years old. I know that the high school, South Ward and Doris McQueen are not that old and they have had improvements since being built.
There is $40 million in this proposal for additions for these newer schools. So, if a bond is approved, improvements and additions will be needed on the new schools before the taxpayers can pay for this project. How will LISD pay for this? It's easy, they can raise school taxes and you will be paying more than 37.5 cents in new taxes.
The estimated cost to the owner of a $125,000 home will be an additional $40 per month, just for the increase in school tax. That's at the present rate. Add five years of increases in property value and the homeowner could be easily paying $80 per month more for all their property taxes, including city and county. Who knows what the increase would be in 20 years?
New home buyers will have to consider this when they purchase homes. If taxes in the towns surrounding Longview are less, new home buyers will have more temptation to purchase out of LISD. That leaves the businesses in the district to foot the bill.
New businesses don't make new school buildings a top priority in their decision to move to Longview and neither do new home buyers. They look at taxes and the workforce opportunities. If people don't move to Longview due to taxes, this will in the long term affect businesses moving to Longview.
If you think I am wrong, the city of Longview has had to make deals with large companies like Texas Eastman, Dana Corp. and Neiman Marcus to keep their taxes down so that they will stay and hire employees. The city does not make tax deals for a homeowner, however.
One writer has stated that her children's education is equivalent to her friend's children's education in Dallas schools. So LISD is doing a good job on education. A smaller tax bond, giving the school district the $4 million for technology is much better, but don't stop there. Ask for a bond election that would replace one campus and maybe expand another campus. Once the bond is paid, then LISD can go back to taxpayers and ask what can we do next.
There has to be a better solution. Other school districts have the same problems and they have not taken the same big dollar approach that the LISD has taken.
Robert Floyd is a White Oak resident, and a business owner and taxpayer in the Longview Independent School District.
