Photo by Shawn EppsAs one of the fastest-growing college systems in the country, can LSCS continue to add new students and pass bond referendums to fund new facilities, or is there a point where the system can no longer expand?
In our community, we've had 176,000 people added in the last four years. The next five years, we project another 240,000. So in this period we're going to add [almost] 500,000 people in our community. So we don't see the growth slowing down anytime soon. That's the challenge we have. That's why we are seeking another bond. If you look out at the horizon, we know where the growth is coming. It's all over, but you look where the new toll road is coming in—the Grand Parkway—we know where entire communities are being planned. We know where big plots of land are and who's thinking about what. So we're trying to think strategically, not only where we are right now.
Why do you believe the 2013 bond referendum failed?
There [are] a couple of reasons. We had a low voter turnout. We had that vote in May. The election this time will be in November, so we'll have a greater voter turnout. I think more than anything else it was a lack of communication, and that is on us. I tell people this when I talk to them that during the course of a year we will deal with 140,000 different students. If the average family size is three, we deal with 400,000 families and people. Very few people get the opportunity to make the changes we do. We know what we are doing, and we think you know what we are doing. But that doesn't translate to people coming out to the polls sometimes.
Why should a resident within the LSCS service area who is not a student or parent of a student vote to approve this bond referendum?
The simple answer is a rising tide raises all boats. Again, going back to economic prosperity, the way our community is going to be successful over the longterm is having an educated public. It is not just the education piece to me. With an education, you learn to be a good citizen. Some of these big companies want us to teach our students how to dress, how to act, how to deal with conflict resolution, how to show up on time. It is about improving our society as a whole. That is what we are talking about. We do all this training for EMTs, police officers, nurses and things that you may not know until you actually need them. That's what we do with all this training behind the scenes is [we are helping create] the infrastructure for a successful society.
Why can LSCS not fund new facilities using increases in property tax revenue?
We do not generate enough new income on tax revenue from our tax base. For example, the bond is less than $485 million. So the increase in tax base generates about $10 million to $12 million in new money. We are so large right now that if we give pay raises of 2 percent, it takes about $3 million out of that. There is not enough money being generated by the tax base alone to pay for a new building. It is one thing to go out and buy a small item in your household like a washing machine or a new TV, and it is another thing to go out and have a house mortgage. You just do not generate enough money in your household income to pay for a house.
