With $89 million in bonds on the November ballot, Kaufman Independent School District appears to be using district resources to pressure parents to vote for the bond.
The district is using an app called Remind, typically used to communicate with parents and students regarding sports activities such as upcoming games and bus pickups, to tell students and parents to “vote for the bond.”
Kaufman ISD’s Proposition A asks voters to approve $77.4 million for a new elementary school, additions to Kaufman Junior High and High School as well as the Helen Edwards Early Childhood Development Center, the build of an Ag barn, and to improve school security.
Proposition B asks voters to approve $12.5 million for a new covered athletic facility, new tennis courts, and the relocation of the baseball field.
In another Remind communication, Kaufman ISD messaged baseball players’ parents to tell them “there are several items our athletes need and deserve” and to “please go vote!”
Each bond will include ballot language stating, “THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE,” because taxpayers must repay the bond, with interest.
Kaufman ISD Superintendent Dr. Lori Blaylock also sent a letter to voters 65 and older to inform them that they will not face a property tax increase due to the “over 65 homestead exemption.”
She advises them to contact the Kaufman County Appraisal District to confirm her statement if they don’t “trust [her] word.”
Recently, electioneering has been documented in multiple school districts, suggesting that further guidance from the Legislature is needed in order to protect taxpayer money from school district misuse.
There is $15 billion in school bonds on the November ballot across the state.
Election Day is November 8.
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