by Nicole Bradford
Pearland ISD Trustees, this week, will decide whether to send a $105 million bond decision to voters this May.
“We have to order the election for bonds — if that’s what the board chooses — at the Feb. 13 meeting because the final date to order an election is Feb. 16,” Superintendent Larry Berger said during a workshop discussion.
“We have issues and problems. But (the state) had $32 billion dollars in surplus and they sent zero to us, so we have to fight for our own.”
– Larry Berger
Pearland ISD superintendent
The funds include $30 million for technology to be paid off over five years and $75 million in facilities and infrastructure needs such as roofs, HVAC, electrical systems, and elevators.
The proposals were recommendations from a bond advisory committee.
“This is not a blank check,” Berger said. “The advisory committee will change into the oversight committee if this is approved. We are not going to have a bait and switch.”
Technology needs include servers and storage, network and internet, as well as recently purchased one-to-one student devices. Paying back the tech bonds over five years is important, he said, because of the life cycle of technology.
In 2016, the district financed $19 million in technology over 25 years.
“We’re past some of the life cycle of that technology and we’re still paying for it,” Berger said.
Technology is vital, he said, for equal access to educational resources, digital literacy, learning outside of classrooms, and empowerment for diverse learners.
In addition, state testing now must be administered online, and most AP testing will be done online.
“We also have requirements that must be met in public education in Texas,” Berger said.
Trustee Crystal Carbone said many of the district’s challenges come down to unfunded mandates from the state.
“We shouldn’t have to be this creative — the state should step up,” she said. “If you put a mandate in place, put the money that matches it, but that’s a lot of ‘shoulds.’”
“We have issues and problems,” Berger said. “But (the state) had $32 billion dollars in surplus and they sent zero to us, so we have to fight for our own. I realize anything we push out to the voters has consequences; I am only taking care of things in the district we need to take care of.”
