Gold-Burg ISD rejects proposed agreement with Bowie ISD over transfer student bus pickups

STONEBURG, Texas (KAUZ) - Gold-Burg ISD trustees voted Tuesday night against entering into a proposed inter-local agreement with Bowie ISD that would have required the district to pay to continue picking up transfer students within Bowie ISD boundaries.

The meeting came after Bowie ISD announced new transfer policies limiting neighboring school districts’ ability to pick up students inside the Bowie ISD attendance zone.

Under the new policy, neighboring districts have two options: modify their transfer policies to comply with Senate Bill 204 requirements or enter into an inter-local agreement with Bowie ISD.

Under the proposed agreement, Bowie ISD requested $1,000 annually for each transfer student picked up within its district. For Gold-Burg ISD, that amounted to a negotiable payment of $65,000 per year.

Gold-Burg ISD Superintendent Jonathan Lloyd said he opposed the proposal, arguing student access should not be tied to financial negotiations.

“It rubs me wrong because I don’t think we should be negotiating money over kids. I think we should be worried about what the kids can do,” Lloyd said. “But they weren’t worried about it for the four years that I was here before, but now they’re worried about it.”

In a statement released July 20, Bowie ISD said the requested payment should come from neighboring districts’ Small School Adjustment funding provided by the state. According to the district, Bowie ISD receives about $1,000 per transfer student through that funding, while Gold-Burg ISD receives approximately $4,000 per student.

Lloyd said that comparison does not account for the differences in each district’s tax base, adding that Gold-Burg relies more heavily on state funding than Bowie ISD.

“You go down the main street in Bowie, you turn right to go down to Tractor Supply, and you’ve already passed probably more houses and businesses than we have,” Lloyd said. “And that’s the purpose of small school allotment.”

Parents also spoke during the meeting about how the proposed changes could affect their families.

Toni Parker said her family depends on Gold-Burg ISD buses picking up students in Bowie because she and her husband share one vehicle and both work early shifts.

“It’s just easier for our kids to take the bus,” Parker said. “It’s almost impossible for us, it would be impossible for us to get our kids here in the morning without leaving them on the front doorstep of the school for an hour, an hour and a half by themselves.”

The Gold-Burg ISD Board of Trustees ultimately voted 4-1 against paying the proposed inter-local agreement.

Lloyd said the district will consult with its attorney to determine the legality of continuing to operate bus routes that pick up transfer students within Bowie ISD boundaries.