The $369.4 Million Bond Proposal

Election date: April 13

Prop. 1: $120.5 million for renovations for all 96 campuses.

Prop. 2: $176.9 million for construction of eight elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school; also for the construction of over 150 classroom additions.

Prop. 3: $72 million for safety and security equipment, technology infrastructure, Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, and land acquisition.

Managed properly, this bond package will:

* Touch every campus and enact what AISD Superintendent Jim Fox repeatedly refers to as "functional equity" for every child;

* Lay the groundwork for a more homogeneous district, in terms of academics -- parents and other stakeholders should expect to receive the same instructional quality in all campuses;

* Get the district ready for technology-based inst-ruction, which helps to promote more self-directed

learning and keep children engaged and interested;

* Keep the technology current and relevant by leasing, rather than buying, computers -- paid for with a 2cents tax increase in the maintenance and operation tax rate in year two of the bond issue;

* Dedicate an emergency fund of about $15 million for unexpected surprises that may crop up during renovations of elementary schools;

* Renew and preserve older, central-city campuses -- $20 million more than a citizens' bond advisory committee had recommended last summer for updating and renovating AISD's 15 middle schools;

* Restructure $69 million in current outstanding debt;

* Impact the tax rate only half as much as originally projected -- 1cents tax increase every year for three years, based on three bond sales. Even owners of typically priced homes in the most expensive neighborhoods would see a tax increase of less than $9 per month. Residents 65 and older would see no tax increase.

The bond package won't:

* Bring AISD's educational specifications (e.g., square footages, etc.) up to national standards;

* Knock down any old schools;

* Retire the district's 500 portable buildings;

* Guarantee that the suburban exodus to Southwest Austin will come a halt;

* Lay any claims to reintegration. -- R.A.