EDITORIAL: Promising times for Lorena students, thanks to voters
We hate tax increases but were thrilled to see last week’s Lorena Independent School District tax ratification election pass so overwhelmingly, particularly given the extraordinary circumstances that have handicapped Lorena in recent years.
Last Thursday’s vote to gradually increase the school tax rate by 13 cents over several years through 2017-18 passed 795-244 — and not even a year since a November 2009 election when the same matter went down to defeat 313-263. Thursday’s election should prevent the district from operating in the red.
The tax proposal’s passage stems partially from an unusually spirited and smart campaign seeking to educate voters as to why the situation was so dire. This includes the fact our state’s school finance system is a shambles, plus the fact that Lorena is under a state-imposed growth moratorium because its sewer plant is beyond capacity. That pretty much precludes the tax base from expanding and multitudes of new students from flowing into the school district.
Some voters said they voted nay last year because they felt the school district didn’t fully inform them of the situation. That criticism could not be fairly leveled this time, not with school supporters and parents getting word out through everything from a door-to-door campaign and fliers to e-mail blasts.
So, yes, Lorena schools will flourish not just because supporters worked hard to get word out but because voters were made fully aware of the issue, understood the ramifications of failure and took steps to rally for both their school and their community.
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