10 November 2 - 8, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents them. It’s the state of new construction to- day, and those costs don’t appear to be de- creasing in the near future. I would much rather Prosper ISD estimate high and not end up spending that much, than to estimate too low and have to go back to the drawing board.” Even when you take away the disagree- ments over a district’s growth rate and the economy, the question remains: how appro- priate is it to spend nearly $100 million on a high school stadium to begin with? In Texas there’s a teacher shortage and a governor just itching to take money from public schools and funnel it into private ones. The most recent legislative session failed to yield many measures that would both attract and retain teachers, let alone provide for a teacher pay raise. This is in spite of the whopping, record-breaking sur- plus of more than $30 billion lawmakers were working with. Furthermore, school tax rates will now be lower after Gov. Greg Abbott signed legis- lation for a number of property tax cuts ear- lier this year. That’s less money for school districts to collect, just to be clear. School bond money cannot be used for items such as teacher pay and benefits, only for major capital expenditures — like those included in Prosper’s four propositions. Prosper ISD says the proposed new sta- dium will serve many purposes beyond foot- ball, including hosting band events and other sports such as soccer. Students will be able to learn audio-visual broadcasting and presentation skills during games, and the new stadium will also have a running track, something Children’s Health Stadium doesn’t have. Of course, these are all activi- ties that are already taking place every week throughout the state in stadiums far less ex- pensive than what Prop C offers. Speaking of property and school tax rates, the district has adamantly asserted that local property tax rates will not in- crease, thanks to the 2007 decision by Pros- per ISD to set “the Interest and Sinking portion of the tax rate to 50 cents per $100 property valuation (as set by the county ap- praisal district), which is the maximum al- lowed by the State of Texas,” according to the district’s website. Trotter said the decision of what is and is not appropriate in this case is completely up to the residents of the district. If they ap- prove it, she suggests, they’re accepting the terms of the transaction. But school bonds in Texas don’t live only inside individual dis- trict vacuums. The bond debt is guaranteed by the state’s permanent school fund, which cur- rently sits above $50 billion; the state would be responsible for paying bond- holders should the district default. The defaulted amount would be deducted from any future state aid payments to the district. Trotter understands that headlines men- tioning a $94-million high school stadium will get a lot of scrutiny, but she’s quick to point out that because the district is plan- ning ahead, possibly as much as five years into the future, things may end up differ- ently in terms of the final dollar amount and other considerations. “If the growth stopped tomorrow, if all of a sudden the gates closed or the faucet turned off and nobody moved into Prosper, that would change every bit of the plan,” she said. In North Texas, new high school stadi- ums will continue to be built and, most likely, continue to be done so at alarmingly costly figures. Maybe districts like Prosper ISD are just taking the words of another Hall of Fame football coach to a high-dollar level that he certainly would never have imagined. “A school without football,” said Vince Lombardi, “is in danger of deteriorating into a medieval study hall.” ▼ EDUCATION TO CHAPLAIN OR NOT TO CHAPLAIN DALLAS, OTHER NORTH TEXAS DISTRICTS SAY ‘NO’ TO LAW ENCOURAGING USE OF CHAPLAINS AS COUNSELORS. BY SIMONE CARTER T exas Republicans have coined a solu- tion that they argue will fix every- thing — from school shootings to suicides to drug use: chaplains. During the regular session earlier this year, lawmakers green-lit a bill that allows districts to hire chaplains to act as counsel- ors or let them serve as volunteers. Many folks were pretty upset by the new law, in- cluding plenty of chaplains themselves. But Dallas parents with concerns about the corrosion of the wall between church and state need not worry. DISD trustees re- buffed the option, recently voting 7-0 against opening schools to faith leaders. Ahead of the Oct. 19 vote, a Presbyterian minister explained during public comment that chaplains and counselors are not inter- changeable, according to KERA. Certified counselors, she said, “are the professionals we need to engage in order to address the needs of our school children.” Under the law, chaplains are not required to have a state educational certification. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas celebrated Big D’s decision in a tweet after the vote. “Dallas ISD has voted against placing un- licensed religious chaplains in its schools and forcing religion on its students,” the civil rights organization wrote in a post on X. “We urge other public school districts to fol- low @dallasschools’s example.” So, which other North Texas districts have turned down state lawmakers’ decid- edly non-secular offer? Religious freedom groups, including the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Lib- erty (BJC), issued a press release praising the several districts statewide that have poo- pooed the move so far. Somewhat surpris- ingly, Frisco, McKinney and Gainesville ISDs were on this list. Fort Worth ISD also reportedly doesn’t intend to bring on chaplains at the moment. Asked whether Denton ISD decided to employ school chaplains, chief communi- cations officer Julie Zwahr told the Ob- server via email: “Denton ISD does not currently have any chaplains serving as counselors, and the district does not have any plans for chaplains to serve as counsel- ors in the future.” Meanwhile, other school boards across the state are embracing the concept, including Mineola, Round Rock and Georgetown ISDs. BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler, who has a child enrolled at a Dallas public school, applauded the no-chaplain districts in a statement. “Make no mistake about it: this Texas law was pushed by a group wanting school chap- lains to proselytize in public schools,” she said. “Families of all faiths and none should feel confident that they can send their chil- dren to school without school officials inter- fering with their decisions about religious instruction.” One Hindu parent in Southlake, Sravan Krishna, previously told The Washington Post that he and his family intended to move away from the Lone Star State ahead of the start of this school year. He later relayed to The Fort Worth Report that they’d made good on that plan. Krishna inspired headlines last year after presenting a pair of “In God We Trust” signs during a Carroll school board meeting: one in Arabic and the other featuring rainbow typeface. This came after state legislators in 2021 passed a law requiring schools to prominently display donated posters embla- zoned with the national motto. The Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, CEO and president of Interfaith Alliance, blasted Texas’ school chaplain law in a state- ment on BJC’s website. “Our public schools must be welcoming and safe places for all students, which is why Texas school districts — with overwhelming support from faith communities — are re- jecting this dangerous bill,” he said. “In de- fense of true religious freedom, democracy, and every child’s right to thrive in school, I urge districts statewide to follow their lead.” ▼ ENVIRONMENT THE NOT WALKING DEAD DALLAS, YOUR YARD COULD BE HAUNTED BY ZOMBIE TREES. BY SIMONE CARTER H alloween season just passed, mean- ing us mortals had to stay on high alert for blood-sucking vampires and curse-casting witches. But another genre of ghoul apparently doesn’t discriminate when it comes to its victims: Zombies have devel- oped a taste for Texas trees. Zombie trees are those that look alive but are dying on the inside, said local arborist Brian Cox. “That’s kind of how I describe it: Just a tree that is probably going to die soon, but it’s still alive,” he said. “Homeowners and Mike Brooks Children’s Health Stadium in Prosper Unfair Park from p8
