Hello San Jacinto College Friends and Supporters,
I have had the honor and privilege of serving as the chancellor of San Jacinto College for more than six years. I have the best job in the world! I feel this way because of our people – our students, our employees, our community – and because of the outstanding work taking place at San Jacinto College. We are changing lives, and I love being a part of it.
This November, voters within the San Jacinto College District will have the opportunity to vote on the issuance of $425 million in general obligation bonds needed to update infrastructure, security, and technology; renovate existing facilities; and construct new buildings on all of our campuses. These facilities and the upgrades are critical for our students to continue to learn in a quality environment with hands-on instructional experiences.
These facilities will be used to prepare students to transfer to universities or find great careers right here in our community. At San Jacinto College, we recognize the need to provide well-trained workers, who can receive top-notch, hands-on training, and graduate with the certificates or associate degrees they need to immediately enter the workforce. We also know our students transfer to four-year universities and have better success because of the quality educational foundation they receive at San Jacinto College. That’s why looking ahead and planning for the future is critical to the combined success of our students and our community!
We are committed to keeping your taxes low while still providing an affordable, quality education for our communities. The impact of this bond referendum to the taxpayer is outlined on page 3 of the brochure pdf. The maximum increase in taxes for debt service, when all the bonds are issued (probably 2019 or later), will not exceed 3 cents per $100 of valuation. This means residents owning a home with an appraised value of $100,000 will see their taxes increase a maximum of approximately $28.50 per year, or $2.38 per month. Residents with a $150,000 home value will pay an additional $43.50 each year, or $3.63 each month.
Most senior citizens of age 65 or older will see no increase in their taxes; however, those seniors over 65 who own a house valued for taxes above $132,500 will see a nominal increase.
An itemized list of our proposed facility upgrades, new buildings, and infrastructure enhancements, along with the total financial impact of this bond package on you and me – the taxpayer – is included in the brochure pdf, as well as on this website.
Great things are happening at San Jacinto College, and I encourage you to visit one of our facilities for an event or tour to learn more.
If you have questions about the information presented, feel free to contact me at (281) 998-6100.
Best,
Brenda Hellyer, Ed.D.
Chancellor, San Jacinto College