Proposed Bond - Eanes ISD

WHAT ARE THEY HIDING?

Eanes ISD Proposed Bond - Public Information

It's that time of year again. Have you been converted yet?

Recently, Keep Eanes Informed requested public information from the district related to the Community Advisory Bond Committee. Eanes ISD released a portion of the responsive documents and then sought a ruling to withhold the rest from public view. More on that here.

Eanes ISD did release some emails. However, the district withheld the attachments to those emails ... including, for example, the excel bond spreadsheet, specific campus project lists, bond priority lists, and a Power Point presentation (detailed wish list?) created by the WHS head football coach, Darren Allman.

When Dianna Pharr inquired about the many missing attachments, the district's in-house attorney Bernadette Gonzalez responded. She explained that the district is claiming that all of the various attachments are all "drafts" and asking the OAG to allow the district to hide this public information from the public. Remember, this is information that the district can release it if desired ... it isn't confidential under law. But that's the important point ... the district wants to keep the public in the dark regarding the process of planning this bond. The district is seeking to exclude from the public any documents that reflect bond information or the planning process. They've even retained a private attorney, Ellen Spalding, to work on hiding the information (and the planning process) from the public. Think about that. Maybe the board should have listened to the longest-serving board member, Clint Sayers.

Posted below are some of the documents (click on blue document links) and a few good questions you may want to ask at meetings or by email:

nwellman@eanesisd.net

trustees@eanesisd.net

DOCUMENT 1

How long has the district ignored the needs of the students at the TLC?

Related link:

This is Westlake High

DOCUMENT 2

Why hasn't the district released the "specific campus project lists" from the public?

Where are the meeting notes?

DOCUMENT 3

Why is the district withholding the excel "master bond spreadsheet" from the taxpayers? What are they hiding?

DOCUMENT 4

Who represents your opinion on this bond committee?

Are the bond meetings open to the public? If not, why not?

Related link:

Have you heard of Eanes Link?

DOCUMENT 5

Do you want to pay for a new elementary school on River Hills?

Do you want to fund a multipurpose facility for athletics?

Do you want to pay to construct a swim center/complex and then fund the maintenance?

Is the district considering a tailgating facility in the Chap Court and do you want to fund it?

Related links:

Eanes ISD Wishlist

Are you ready?

DOCUMENT 6

Why does WHS principal Linda Rawlings think Special Education should be segregated in their "own small space"?

Do we need to fund separate facilities for wrestling and dance?

Why wasn't TLC improved as a part of the last bond? Are at-risk students a low priority?

Do you support buying laptops for students every five years (or more)?

Related link:

This is Westlake High

DOCUMENT 7

Do you believe these projections for increased enrollment are accurate? Doesn't the district regularly state that the enrollment is "flat" and projected to stay that way?

DOCUMENT 8

What is the connection between EEF and the bond planning committee membership selection? Just how is this "inner circle" chosen?

DOCUMENT 9

Why is the district withholding Darren Allman's (WHS head football coach) Power Point presentation? What is Eanes ISD hiding?

Sports Gone Wild

DOCUMENT 10

Are the classrooms too small to accommodate increasing class sizes.

Is the current overcrowding compromising campus safety?

Have the humidity issues resulted in air quality problems? Is this a health/safety issue?

Related link:

Eanes ISD Air Quality

DOCUMENT 11

Why is the district hiding the "safety and security" portion of the proposed bond plan?

DOCUMENT 12

Has the MAC price increased from $5.5 to $14 million? Are you willing to fund this covered football field (natatorium)?

DOCUMENT 13

Why does Steve Ramsey (WHS coach and "senior principal") want his prioritization of the bond issues to remain confidential?

DOCUMENT 14

Will you vote to fund a $120-$125 million dollar bond?

DOCUMENT 15

Is your child's school asbestos free?

DOCUMENT 16

"Can anyone explain why some items in the '03 Bond have increased in cost 100% (i.e. a $5M MAC to now a $10M MAC?) when inflation has not risen by nearly that much? Is our appetite/scope growing or what? It can't just be blamed on costs."

Will you support a "125M ballpark figure" bond?

DOCUMENT 17

"WESTLAKE FITNESS CENTER" - funded by public school district bonds? A new way to sell the idea of more athletic spending? The attachment to this email (Darren Allman's Power Point presentation) is yet another document that the district is hiding from the public? Why?

DOCUMENT 18

And then there's the MAC ... that is now the CAC ... #2 on the bond priority list. And the "20" who voted decided that $120 MILLION sounds about right?