Boles ISD Challenges Land Boundaries

Boles Independent School District challenged boundaries last week of Quinlan Independent School District.

Quinlan ISD Supt. Micheal French told the school board that he was first notified of the challenge late Wednesday, Sept. 16, when he received a phone call from Boles ISD requesting a meeting between he and Boles ISD Supt. Dr. Graham Sweeney.

French told The News they spoke by telephone on Friday, Sept. 18.

French told the Quinlan board that Boles ISD had hired a surveyor and had disputed the current boundaries. He said a report is made annually in September to the Texas Education Agency on district boundaries. After he was notified of the dispute, he said he asked a TEA representative how many districts in the state had surveyed their boundaries. The answer was one, and the one was Boles.

"It did alarm us greatly," Byron Burk, Executive Director of Student Services, told the board. He said the district stood to lose $9,458.10 per year in taxes if the challenge stood. It was pointed out that the taxes would be higher if Boles ISD’s tax rates were applied since they were higher than Quinlan ISD’s.

Burk said when a copy of what Boles ISD received from the Hunt County Appraisal District, former Supt. Charlie Thompson looked over the maps. "Charlie Thompson came up and gave us great help," Burk said.

He said Thompson immediately noted that the map was in error since the surveyor had used the present route of roads rather than what they were when the boundaries were drawn. He said Thompson grew up near one of the areas in dispute and pointed out where the survey was in error.

French said the area of Boles ISD was previously known as Pleasant Grove and was reestablished by the Hunt County Board of Trustees in 1924 as the Pleasant Grove Common School District.

The superintendent said in 1939 the Boles Home Common School District consolidated with the Pleasant Grove district.

He said in 1966, 27 residents of the Boles Home Common School District tried to incorporate 10 percent of Quinlan ISD land into their district. "That failed," he said as the Hunt County board recognized and affirmed that the Pleasant Grove boundaries were correct.

Burk said he had gone as far back as 1850 land abstracts from Austin.

"As we delve further and further, it is looking better and better for Quinlan ISD," French said.

"We will fight for what is ours," the superintendent declared. He said he did not yet know what the dispute had cost the district to date or what it would cost in the future. He said he did not know if the district would seek reimbursement for the costs.

Board President Kenny Stone asked for a motive for the challenge. French said there was not a motive. He said the Hunt County Appraisal District was notified, TEA was contacted and a surveyor was hired before Quinlan ISD officials were contacted about the dispute.

"We worked all week on this. Everyone in this office has worked," he said and especially pointed out "the ton of work" done by Burk.

French said a tentative agreement had been reached with the Hunt County Appraisal District on two outcomes — 1) as long as Quinlan ISD and Boles ISD agreed, they could have the land, which French said was not the case; and 2) if the matter went to court, boundaries would not change until all appeals were exhausted.

French said the boundaries had stood as they were for almost 85 years. "All of a sudden, they were wrong?" he asked of the people who had been in charge of the district during that time. "I trust those people. I believe they were right."

Boles ISD. Supt. Dr. Sweeney said about school boundaries to The News, "The state is having us look at it and see if it is accurate."

He said the request was in line with requirements for receiving Title 1 state funds.

"We had a surveyor take a look at it," Dr. Sweeney said.

As a result of the survey, he said discrepancies appeared in three parcels of land. Sweeney said two of those including one containing 270 acres should go to Boles and one containing 27 acres should be returned to Quinlan.

"We’re not saying we have all the information," he said and said the district was still looking at the matter.

Sweeney said in his 24 years experience, it was the first time he had been asked for the boundary report, which he said was due to be delivered to the state by Friday, Sept. 25.

He said the information he had from the tax appraisal district indicated that the land in question would carry approximately $10,000 in taxes annually.