I believe one of the cornerstones that makes New Braunfels unique i
s the superior education opportunities available throughout Comal County. Our founding fathers created the first public school in Texas and taxed citizens to insure teachers had the resources needed to provide a quality education. Fortunately for us, our community has never lost sight of the importance of a good education. EVERYONE benefits from a population that has great educational opportunities. I took it for granted at the time just how good my Comal ISD education was and that of my friends in NBISD. As an adult, I have great appreciation for the investment the citizens of our community made on my behalf, and I wish to continue paying it forward to future generations.
Whether or not you like the rapid growth of our hometown and county, one fact is certain: we need to educate those that are here and new children when they arrive not just for their benefit but for our own. Kids with a good education and quality extracurricular programs grow up to be more successful adults. These are people I want as my neighbors, employees and customers. We should all want the children of Comal County to have quality programming that reflects our care and concern for all citizens.
In November all registered voters within NBISD have an opportunity to vote on an important school bond. As a homeowner and a business owner in NBISD I certainly am not excited about the tax implications for my husband James and I, but we both recognize that the cost of the alternative would be far greater. And we all know those costs are not just monetary. Communities with low education standards suffer in a multitude of ways. Reduced work productivity, increased social services expense, greater judicial costs, weak community pride – and the list goes on. Education is the greatest gift we can give ourselves and others.
Our kids and educators need to be safe. Safety measures in the bond are prudent and not extravagant. Our kids and educators need space. The new campuses and campus addition included in the bond will prevent students from being packed together like sardines which is no kind of learning environment. We need to be proactive and have schools completed before we outgrow existing facilities. Our kids and educators deserve well-functioning and efficient facilities. We need to make renovations to existing properties and consider replacing older campuses that have provided many years of great service but are now costly to maintain and lack the amenities necessary in today’s educational system.
I am privileged to know several of the NBISD Trustees, some as past customers and others through past service projects we took part in together. I appreciate that even though several of them no longer have children attending NBISD schools, they continue to volunteer their time for the benefit of future generations. They live and pay taxes here just as I do and I know that they work hard to spend our money wisely. I do not envy the many hours they spent each month over the past 8 months analyzing and often agonizing over the best balance of serving needs and keeping costs down. This bond process has been in addition to serving the regular ongoing needs of the district. I thank them for their ofttimes thankless work.
All those reading can clearly see my heart on this issue. The internal debate occurred when my mind saw the total cost of the bond. As I looked at the six key areas (go to www.NBISDBOND.com for details), it is clear these are real and pressing needs. This coupled with leaning just how thorough and thoughtful the process was to arrive at each key item gave me confidence to support the bond. You have my two cents worth, now I encourage everyone to do their own research. Questions can be posed directly to trustees or the superintendent by going to www.NBISD.org, and in a few clicks you can easily find their email addresses. Early voting is October 22 – November 2, 2018, with election day November 6,2018.