Published: May 09, 2008 09:53 am            

Chamber endorses AISD bond proposal

Athens Chamber of Commerce CEO Gus Flener on Thursday said his organization is endorsing passage of the Athens Independent School District’s proposed $28.4 million bond.

The endorsement was announced two days before voters head to the polls for one of the more significant school board elections in recent memory. Not only will voters have to decide on the bond issue, but two seats on the board are up for grabs: incumbent Jennie Mahmoud is facing a challenge from former AISD board member Larry West, while Nick Rosenberg and former board member Steve McElhany will square off for the seat of Eric Smith — who opted to not seek re-election.

“We think it’s in the best interest of the community, and certainly in the best interest of the business community to have the best schools, the best education system we can,” Flener said.

Flener said the Chamber feels it is important to promote growth, and the proposed school bond — which will pay for improvements on all six Athens ISD campuses — may give prospective businesses a reason to give Athens a second look.

Dr. Fred Hayes, superintendent of Athens ISD, responded to the endorsement Thursday by saying, “We appreciate the business community’s interest in our schools, and we appreciate their support and understanding of our needs.”

The $28.4 million bond aims to remove portable buildings from district campuses and make various improvements to structure and technology. Included in the plan is the construction of a wing to house sixth-grade students at Athens Middle School. Sixth-graders this year attended R.C. Fisher, but will move to the middle school beginning next year regardless of the bond outcome. R.C. Fisher will become a pre-kindergarten campus.

No less than $3.5 million will be spent on each campus. The district has also set aside in the bond amount just shy of $1.4 million for contingency funds.

The school’s property tax rate will rise from $1.15338 per $100 valuation to $1.30378 per $100 valuation if the bond passes. For the owner of a $100,000 home in the Athens Independent School District, that means a $980.37 tax bill will rise to $1,111.27 with the increase — a difference of about $131.

Voter can cast their ballots Saturday at the Athens ISD Administration Building (104 Hawn Street) from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

        

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