More than 75% of surveyed HISD residents support school bond that won't raise taxes, poll shows

Megan Menchaca, Houston Chronicle, Aug 22, 2024

More than 75% of surveyed Houston ISD residents say they would support a bond that did not raise property taxes, according to an August poll by the Kinder Institute for Urban Research.

The institute surveyed a group of about 7,500 Harris County residents, known as the Greater Houston Community Panel, in January and February to determine support for a school bond. It conducted another poll in July and August to determine if support had changed before the HISD Board of Managers voted Aug. 8 to place a $4.4 billion school bond proposal on the November ballot.

HISD’s proposed school bond — which would be the largest in Texas history if it receives approval from voters — outlines spending billions to rebuild and renovate schools with “poor facilities and learning conditions,” expand pre-K and career and technical education in the district, and make safety and security upgrades.

The January survey found that 78% of respondents said they would support a school bond that resulted in tax increases of $1 or less, with the percentage decreasing slightly to 76% in the summer poll. The questions were different in both polls, and neither asked respondents directly if they would vote for HISD’s specific bond proposal, which would not raise taxes if passed.

In January, the organization asked “Would you vote to approve an education bond for your local school district if it increased homeowners’ property taxes by ...,” and in the summer, it asked “If your local school district puts an education bond on the ballot in November that could increase the average homeowners’ property taxes, what is the largest increase to property taxes you would be willing to support?

About 5,400 people responded to the first poll, including nearly 2,594 respondents living in HISD boundaries, while 3,565 people responded to the second survey, including 1,902 HISD residents. The respondents living in HISD boundaries were “similar demographically to all adults living within HISD,” according to the institute.

HISD’s bond proposal has seen open pushback at several public meetings from teachers unions, civil rights organizations and other community members, who cite a lack of trust in the district’s leaders after the Texas Education Agency replaced the elected board members and superintendent with appointees, including Superintendent Mike Miles, in June 2023.

“Between the two surveys fielded in January and August, HISD announced a ($528 million) budget deficit and widespread staffing cuts, including the removal of popular principals and teachers,” the institute wrote in its survey findings. “Despite these challenges, the survey found support for a school bond remained high.”

The January survey found “significant support” for more public education funding in general, with HISD's residents more likely to support additional funding than the remaining respondents. About three-fourths of HISD residents said public schools need significantly more money to provide a quality education, compared to 66% of other Houston-area residents.

“Support was high regardless of whether HISD residents own a home, have school-aged children, or are registered to vote,” the survey found.

The poll also asked respondents about the priorities they would like to see HISD spend their bond funds on, with more than half of HISD residents surveyed in January saying the district’s top priorities should be creating career and technical education facilities and installing updated safety and security measures in schools.

HISD’s bond, if passed, would spend $375 million to build three new CTE centers in the south, west and central divisions of the district, and $50 million for renovations at Barbara Jordan Career Center, which is the only established CTE center in HISD. It would also allocate $384 million for security upgrades at 263 campuses and about $2.2 million for police upgrades.

According to the survey finding, HISD residents living in west Houston favored prioritizing funding for additional CTE facilities, while those living in the northeast — near the Barbara Jordan Career Center — provided greater support for updated campus safety and security.

In addition to those priorities, at least 30% of respondents said in January that the district should prioritize improving infrastructure, upgrading school buildings with new technology and renovating existing buildings. Less than 5% of HISD residents said they supported prioritizing building new elementary, middle or high schools.

The district’s school bond will be split into two propositions on the November ballot that residents can vote on separately. Proposition A would allocate $3.96 billion for school building renovations and expansions, including safety and security infrastructure, while Proposition B would allocate $440 million for technology equipment, systems and infrastructure.

Houston residents who are not already registered to vote will need to do so by Oct. 7 to vote on the bond, as well as the other items on the ballot in the general election. Eligible Houstonians must request or print out a registration application and mail it to the voter registrar before the deadline.