Don't forget that there's an election going on right now in Austin. Folks in my neck of the woods can early vote at Maplewood Elementary. Here's a summary of the AISD bond package:
Proposition 1: Relief for Overcrowded Schools/ Provision of Equitable Facilities District Wide - New Schools, Classroom Additions, and Land Acquisition
Tax Rate: 1.54¢
Proposition 2: Academic and Building Infrastructure Renovations to Safeguard Investments in DistrictCampuses, Facilities and Sites and Invest in Environmental Health Initiatives and Standards - Renovations to Campuses and District-Wide Facilities, and Technology.
Tax Rate: 1.69¢
Proposition 3: Safety and Security, Environmental Health and District-wide Facilities - Safety & Security, District-Wide Facilities, Low-Emission Buses, and Asbestos removal.
Tax Rate: .45¢
Proposition 4: Athletics and Physical Education Including the Efficient Utilization of Taxpayers’ DollarsThrough Sharing Facilities Among Governmental Entities - Interscholastic Sports Task Force recommendations and Elementary covered play slabs.
Tax Rate: .11¢
Proposition 5: Relief for Overcrowding and Partial Funding for a District-Wide Performing Arts Center - Partial Funding for District-Wide Performing Arts Center (PAC), Site for PAC, New Southwest Middle School
Tax Rate: .37¢
Detailed information about each proposition is available on the AISD website.
I'm a little torn about how to vote but I think I've decided to go with the Austin Chronicle's recommendation:
As the Chronicle notes regarding Prop 5:
...we have not been convinced that the district needs another Southwest middle school on the edge of the aquifer's recharge zone, especially when there are already several middle schools nearby and close to the neighborhood that are underenrolled. District officials say they will obey the letter of the Save Our Springs Ordinance. We believe Proposition 5 violates the spirit of SOS because it unnecessarily reinforces, by institutional inertia, developmental growth patterns that endanger the community's best values, its health, and indeed its unique character as a city. Moreover, the default arrangement whereby the land now designated for a school will become apartments should the voters disapprove the bonds, amounts to blackmail-by-developer.In other words, a "no" vote on Prop 5 is a good way to send a message to our elected officials that we're still serious about 1) limiting development over environmentally sensitive sections of the aquifer and 2) discouraging sprawl to the southwest. For what it's worth, South Austin Democrats narrowly voted to oppose Prop 1 out of sprawl concerns as well but I tend to agree with the Chronicle that the benefits to inner-city schools trump the sprawl issue on Prop 1.
Early voting locations are listed here. If you miss early voting, election day is September 11th.
Posted by sarah at September 1, 2004 1:07 PM | TrackBack