The following article was written by local educator Aaron Phillips in favor of the Amarillo Independent School District bond election taking place this November. The Amarillo Pioneer plans to bring you opinions from both supporters and opponents of the bond election to help you make an informed decision on November 7th.
Early voting starts today, and Amarillo Independent School District is asking its voters to approve $100 million in bonds. As a fifth grade teacher and resident in the district, I am voting for the bonds.
I’m also president of the Amarillo Education Association, the local affiliate of the Texas State Teachers Association and National Education Association, and our membership strongly supports the proposed upgrades to our schools. In my duties, I attended all facilities meetings the board held to discuss the needs of the district. Trustee James Allen also nominated me to serve on the citizens committee that reviewed the district’s plans and needs, should the effort pass.
Amarillo ISD needs everything, and more, listed in the proposed work to expand, modernize, and update its facilities. This community’s children deserve that update.
Where the legislature continues to fail to provide the needed funding for our schools, I hope the community will step up to the challenge and pay a small amount more for our children’s future. The average household would pay about $48 a year more in taxes due to the bond. That’s a cup of coffee a month I’m willing to give up.
Amarillo schools are the cultural heart of our community, and can continue to play that role. By voting for the bonds, generations more of Amarillo students will receive an education and grow up in well preserved, yet modernly functional, buildings. Please vote for the bonds.
-Aaron Phillips
