“It’s for the children” is a common refrain used by pro-spending advocates to justify even the most wild expansion of government growth. However, in the case of the Conroe Independent School District’s $807 million bond, “It’s for the government contractors” would be more accurate.
Newly released campaign finance reports reveal that the political action committee promoting the bond, “Community for Conroe ISD’s Future”, has received 88 percent of its funds from contractors and engineering firms that do business with local governments, raising serious questions about CISD’s ability to impartially award contracts.
Top donations to the pro-bond PAC include $3,000 from Geoscience Engineering, $2,500 from Hellas Construction, $1,750 from DBR Engineering, and $1,000 from architecture firm Upchurch Kimbrough. The IBI Group, a major CISD vendor, gave $5,000. The PAC raised a total of $15,665.
While the pro-bond campaign has been led by CISD bureaucrats and special interests who stand to benefit if the $807 million spending package is passed, the anti-bond campaign has been a grassroots effort.
The Children’s Hope PAC, which was formed to oppose the bond, has raised $1,356, however, most grassroots activists block walking against the bond are printing their own fliers to take door to door.
The Montgomery County Republican Party has taken a strong stance against the bond. The county’s two tea party groups, the Texas Patriots PAC and Montgomery County Tea Party, have both also come out in opposition to the bond.
Early voting starts April 22. Election Day is May 4.
