Editor's note: Early voting starts today and a number of important initiatives are on the ballot. We have asked representatives on both sides to express their views. First up, Phoebe Tudor states the case in favor of the HISD bond issue.

We are passionate advocates for public school education in Houston. Why? you may ask. Many reasons really.

My husband and I both grew up going to public school in Louisiana, and feel we were well-served by our public school education. While there are many good private and parochial schools in Houston, we felt that the Houston Independent School District offered numerous viable public options, and wanted our children to have more of a “real world” experience during their schooling.

There are many things in addition to academic instruction that are learned during the school years, and understanding how to live, work and relate with all sorts of people who are often different from yourself is one of the best life lessons they could get.

We have been very pleased with the education our children received in HISD. All three have been through the highly-regarded and rigorous International Baccalaureate program at Lamar High School. Our daughters attended leading universities and found they were very well prepared for their college work. Our son will graduate from Lamar in 2013.

Crumbling buildings

But all is not perfect with the schools in HISD, far from it. Let’s face it, most of the buildings are old and in awful condition. The litany of problems facing our children and teachers every day is unbelievable: Leaky roofs, malfunctioning air conditioning, crumbling walls, wires hanging from the ceiling, poor lighting, classrooms that are too small, rats running through the ceiling, horrendous restrooms and even raw sewage. I have seen many of these things with my own eyes.

How do kids learn? How do teachers teach? It’s been proven in study after study that poor conditions like these lead to kids underperforming academically, high absenteeism and a higher dropout rate.

When we were asked to co-chair Citizens for Better Schools, the group working for approval of HISD’s bond proposal, we did not hesitate to step up and dedicate ourselves to passage of this plan. It is the right thing for our students and our city, and it is the right time.

We are convinced that Dr. Grier and the school board are making substantive improvements to the education of our students, and the data shows it.

• The graduation rate is up to an all-time high of 78.5%, the dropout rate has been cut in half in the last four years to an all-time low of 11.8%.
• The test results for students scoring 500 or above on the SAT are up dramatically for African Americans, Hispanics and white students in all categories.
• Enrollment at HISD is higher than it was 20 years ago. They are on the right track.

The 2012 bond proposal focuses on high schools. The plan would rebuild 20 high schools, renovate four and partially repair four more. It also includes three new elementary schools and converting five elementary schools to kindergarten through 8th grade. One middle school renovation will be completed and one new one built.

All students will benefit from the $100 million in technology upgrades at all schools, ensuring our children and teachers have state-of-the-art equipment to train our citizens of the future. There will also be improvements to safety and security and to athletic facilities. Lastly, all middle school restrooms will be renovated. Thank goodness.

How much does it cost?

For the average homeowner in the school district, this will amount to about $70 per year, or about the equivalent of a tank of gas, and that will be achieved gradually over the next five years. Aren’t our students worth it?

For that amount we can be the only city in the nation with all of our high schools new or renovated since 2000. Instead of surrounding crumbling buildings in disrepair, our neighborhoods would thrive around modern, architecturally significant schools of the future. It would be transformational for Houston, and we would still have by far the lowest tax rate of any of the more than 20 school districts in the county. And seniors will have no tax increase.

We have been so pleased with the overwhelming response we’ve received to this campaign. Our committee is composed of citizens from both sides of the political aisle who believe, as we do, that a good education is crucial to the future of this great city we live in. They include Susan and James A. Baker, III, Ping Sun and David Leebron, Soraya and Scott McClelland, Nancy and Rick Kinder, Arvia and Jason Few, Sarah and Doug Foshee, Yvonne and Rufus Cormier, and Jana and Scott Arnoldy, to name a few.

We have received endorsements from many organizations and politicians including the Greater Houston Partnership, Latino Community Leaders, Harris County Tejano Democrats, and the Houston Association of Realtors. The full list of our committee members and endorsements can be found on our website www.greatschoolshouston.com. See for yourself.

Parents as advocates

Parents have been our biggest advocates. You don’t have to tell them their schools are in poor shape; they know. Many are working hard to win approval for this bond referendum. Today's elementary and middle schools students will benefit from modern learning environments and technologies when they reach high school.

All of the major arts organizations are supporting this plan because they see the value in building a much-needed new facility for the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, which is bursting at the seams, with students practicing in the hallways since they lack rehearsal space. It will be relocated to Houston’s thriving downtown arts district, providing the opportunity for wonderful collaborations with world-class arts groups.

Leaders at the Texas Medical Center stepped up and found land right in the center itself for the DeBakey School for Health Professionals, allowing future doctors and nurses the fabulous learning environment and proximity to the largest medical center in the world.

HISD has taken many steps to ensure transparency and accountability in every aspect of managing the bond funds and working with the community. Project Advisory Teams have been created for every campus project, which are made up of principals, parents and neighborhood leaders who work directly with the project managers to ensure that what the community wants is implemented at each school. The Bond Oversight Committee consists of business experts and parents and meets quarterly to review detailed status reports on all HISD building and renovation projects, and the reports are posted on the HISD website for public inspection.

All new schools in the 2012 program will be designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building standards. These facilities will be energy efficient and environmentally responsible, resulting in lower operating costs for the district, as was the case with the work done since 2007. This has been noticed.

Recently, the Texas Gulf Coast Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council presented HISD with its Green Pioneer Award in recognition of the district’s “unwavering dedication to building sustainable schools for generations," noting that HISD now has the second highest number of LEED certified schools in the country. Future construction would undoubtedly move us into the No. 1 spot.

Transformation

So, to reiterate: This transformation of our schools would be the result of a gradual tax increase over the next five years, with no increase for seniors. The cost for the average homeowner is equal to about the cost of a tank of gas. And we’d still have the lowest school district tax rate in Harris County.

Houston is the most dynamic, exciting large city in America, and we love living here. But it won’t continue to be this way if we don’t dramatically improve the quality of our public schools. The most important part of that equation is improvement in the quality of teachers and administrators… and we believe we are on the right track in that regard.

The other part of the equation is the need for wholesale improvement in our physical plant. This bond election will not only address that issue, it will make our schools a model for the nation. And that is exactly what Houston public schools should be.

Please help us create great schools, which equal great neighborhoods, which lead to a great city. Remember that you must go all the way to the end of a long ballot to find the HISD School Bond, and for FOR it.