The Richardson ISD asked voters to approve $437 million in bonds in 2016 for a range of capital projects, including $60 million for four indoor practice fields for a variety of activities including athletics. Voters did approve. But the RISD board of trustees took a lot of abuse from voters who thought the district was squandering money.
The Garland ISD asked voters to approve $455 million in bonds in 2014 for a range of capital projects, including $20 million for a natatorium. Voters did approve. Bids for construction of the natatorium came in at $30 million. Considering that cost out of their price range, the GISD board of trustees voted 4-3 to delay construction of the natatorium until 2019.
Voters naturally showered praise on the school board for taking prudent care of the taxpayers' money. Nah, just kidding. The Dallas Morning News headline says it all: "Voters, swimmers feel betrayed as Garland ISD pushes natatorium back to 2019."
Damned if you do...damned if you don't. There are passionate voices on both sides of every issue, especially issues affecting someone's child. The next time you see a school board trustee, thank them for their service. It's a no-win volunteer job.
