Bonds here, bonds there

The local GOP speaks about the bonds.

They haven't grabbed the publicity of the politicians and preachers opposing the Houston school district's bond proposal, but critics of the school bonds in nearby Cypress-Fairbanks and Spring Branch promise to keep plugging their message until the Nov. 6 elections.

In Cy-Fair, opponents are arguing that the district's $807 million plan is too extravagant. Spring Branch critics say their district's $597 million proposal would put their 32,000-student district in too much debt.

Both received major support this week with the Harris County Republican Party's recommendation that its members vote down the two proposals.

The party couldn't reach a consensus on the Houston district's $805 million plan, however, opting to take a neutral stance on the tax-neutral measure.

I confess, I'm a little surprised by this. I figured they'd oppose the HISD bonds on general principles. I still wouldn't imagine that it will get that many Republican votes, but I suppose you never know.

GOP members say they think their message is coming across loudly in the Cy-Fair district, where they expect to have a good chance of defeating the measure. Approval of the bond plan would raise the property tax rate by up to 6.5 cents per $100 of assessed value.

"Spring Branch is likely to pass. HISD is too close to call. Cy-Fair, of all of them, is the most likely to fail," party Chairman Jared Woodfill said Tuesday. "In Cy-Fair, there's a very conservative majority. That's one of our strongholds."

Well all righty then. If the HISD bond package is a test of Hispanic voting strength, then let's call this a test of the current state of Republican voting strength. I'll be interested to see how it turns out.

Meanwhile, over in Waller County, a bond fight there could spill over into HISD.

A legal battle in Waller County over a $49.3 million school bond continues to threaten construction projects and has left some wondering whether the case will have a chilling effect on neighboring districts that also have contested bond elections.

Despite voters approving the Waller Independent School District measure this spring and a judge declaring the election legal earlier this month, the Texas Attorney General's Office says the money won't be distributed until the plaintiffs exhaust their appeals -- illustrating how a small group of critics can jeopardize school construction.

"I would suspect that school districts know now that this danger lurks and will be more aggressive in defending future bond elections," said Pat Mizell, an attorney for the school district.

Critics of Waller's bond are upset that a black neighborhood school would receive only $270,000 for repairs, less than 1 percent of the bond. They also say they will help lobby against the controversial $805 million bond that the Houston Independent School District is asking voters to approve Nov. 6.

None of the vocal opponents to the Houston bond has committed to filing a lawsuit, but they're not ruling it out either.

"It's definitely an option we would look into," said the Rev. D.Z. Cofield, the pastor of Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Houston.

Jerry Strickland, a spokesman for Attorney General Greg Abbott, said under the Texas Administrative Code the agency cannot approve bonds that are directly disputed in court, including lawsuits that directly challenge their validity.

I have no idea how to evaluate this, so I'm just noting it for the record. We'll see what happens.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on October 25, 2007 to Election 2007