Letter to the Editor: Another Bond Election?

Submitted by David Gravelle of Highland Park.

When I was getting ready to have repairs done on my college car my grandfather said, “Watch out, you don’t put good money in after bad.” So, I sold my car. It hurt but it saved me from really goofing up.

I wish I had followed that advice in other instances in my life.

The suggestion that the HPISD is planning another bond election this fall makes me think about my beloved grandad’s advice.

The 2015 bond which called for the razing of the HPISD elementary schools was predicated on a swelling of enrollment and the adoption of the newest shiny objects in education.

Well, enrollment has gone down consistently including the year of the election, so it was wrong from the get go. 

Now the administration’s response seems to be to invest even more money into a situation where capacity (supply) far exceeds demand (enrollment). The glorious dreams of 2015 were largely unrealizable then much as they are now.

How about the shiny objects? In the recent Climate Survey of parents, a whopping 49% said they felt their kids needed tutoring.

So, both the super swell state of the art hardware and software of an Highland Park education is looking like my old car, and more borrowed money won’t fix it.