College Station superintendent sets the record straight on school district debt

Just because something is in the public record as testimony at a legislative hearing doesn't make it true.


College Station ISD Superintendent Eddie Coulson listened last week to an interim meeting of the Texas House Ways and Means committee where Peggy Venable, Texas Director for Americans for Prosperity, warned lawmakers that school district debt for capital projects is a "sleeping giant" and insinuated that the debt would be a huge burden for the next generation of Texans.


Coulson took on the charge in his blog, making several excellent points, including:

• The school district debt Ms. Venable referenced has all been approved by the voters in the respective communities;

• There is a debt service tax cap already in place for Texas school districts; and

• The state of Texas is not on the hook for one penny of the debt.  

From Coulson's blog:

Ms. Venable is turning a local issue into a state political issue.  In every community, local voters determine if the capital projects identified by school districts are appropriate for the district.  Often times, Political Action Committees comprised of local residents form to support or to work against such bond elections.  In the end, voters get to decide.  To suggest that voters are not capable of determining their own needs is absolutely ridiculous, especially for a group called AMERICANS for Prosperity.

With spin and misinformation at every turn, it's imperative for school district leaders to find ways to set the record straight and defend public education, like Coulson does in his blog.

Read the entire post here.