Location, Location, Location!
When searching for a new home, one of the most important factors to consider is the schools that serve the community. Those considering Lakes of Bella Terra can put their minds at ease: The master-planned community is served by exemplary schools according to recent 2011 TAKS tests.
I wonder if FBISD’s school ratings are hurting home sales in Aliana, a community only a few miles away from Lakes of Bella Terra. As a potential home buyer, which community would you choose to live in? Lakes of Bella Terra is located in a Recognized school district. Aliana is located in an Acceptable school district. All four schools zoned to Lakes of Bella Terra are rated Exemplary or Recognized. Only two of the four schools zoned to Aliana are rated Exemplary, Jordan Elementary and Oakland Elementary. Both Travis High School and Holly Elementary are rated Acceptable. Finally, there is only a two cent difference between the school tax rates—$1.36 for Lamar and $1.34 for FBISD. More than likely, both districts will raise the tax rate for 2011.
In 2007, Aliana’s developer projected 2,000 homes would be built within five years. But by the end of 2010, only 160 homes were built. This slower rate of development is evident when FBISD’s newest school—Bowie Middle School—designed to serve Aliana, opened way below capacity in August (at a cost of $24 million). Do we really need to build a new elementary school in Aliana? I don’t think so, as there are enough surrounding schools to ease the overcrowded elementary schools serving Aliana. Instead of spending money on new schools, we need to focus on improving the quality of our existing schools.
Whether you have children in the local school system or not, your property value and price for re-sale is affected by the ratings your local schools receive. Unlike the Lakes of Bella Terra, it’s too bad Aliana can no longer use FBISD school ratings to attract buyers.
The Scoop on FBISD 