I received a text message last week from a friend of mine who was on my staff when I was the Athletic Director for the San Antonio Independent School District. It was a series of pictures showing new construction on the campuses. He captioned it “No turning back now.”

We successfully passed a 1.3 billion dollar bond in 2020. That is billion with a B. What I found amazing is that it passed with almost 70% of the vote in a school district with almost 90% economically disadvantaged students.

The voters made it clear they wanted to provide the best possible educational experience for the children of their community. It was an investment in the lives of children they may never meet.

I remember attending a public Q & A meeting prior to the bond election. It was a packed house and emotions were high on both sides. I was there representing Athletics.

An elderly gentleman stood up and gave a short speech in favor of the bond that I have never forgotten. He shared with the group how he had 11 brothers and sisters. Every time a child was born, his father would plant an apple tree using a seed in the field behind their home.

Eventually they had a small apple tree orchard. He went on to say that it can take up to 10 years for a tree to produce an apple. Unfortunately, his father passed away in an accident at an early age and never got to see most of the trees produce fruit.

He talked about family picnics held throughout the years under the shade of the trees. He shared how his brothers and sisters spent their evenings playing tag, chasing lightning bugs, and munching on the ripe apples. He boasted that his mother made the most unbelievable apple pie and people would come from miles around to buy their apples. Every day they had apples in their lunch pail for school.

Wiping tears from his eyes, he said, “My father did not get to sit under the shade, attend the picnics, watch us chase fireflies or enjoy the apple pie. He planted seeds that grew trees for his children, grandchildren, and others to enjoy. We are doing no different, we are planting seeds to benefit another generation.”

It was pin drop “quiet” when he finished speaking. All intense emotion left the room and a sense of unity flooded in. It was an incredible moment, and this little story does not come close to describing how powerful it was.

I have nieces and nephews who live in Brownwood, all of whom have young children beginning their education. They have signs in their yards about the upcoming school bond election that read, “Invest in our Kids.”

I moved back to Brownwood just six months ago so I cannot tell you exactly what the Brownwood I.S.D. needs. However, what I can tell you from my 25 years as a School Administrator is this; you can get so far behind in technology and infrastructure that you never catch up.

The front porch to every community is their public schools. Do you like what you see?

“The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.”

-Chinese Proverb

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Todd Howey is a columnist for BrownwoodNews.com whose articles appear on Fridays. Email comments to [email protected].