BEAUMONT - Just days before early voting allows residents to start weighing in on Beaumont's $388.6 million school bond proposal, the school board settled on a schedule of what would be built when and who would oversee it.

A contract with Parsons, the Houston company chosen for program management, will not be finalized until after the bond election. "If the election fails, there's no need for it," Superintendent Carrol Thomas said.

If voters give their approval in the Nov. 6 election, Parsons would receive a flat fee of $9 million to manage the four-year project involving new construction and improvements district-wide, according to discussion at Thursday's board meeting.

The only additional expense for Parsons' program management would be the district's obligation to provide an office with furniture, office equipment and utilities, Thomas said.

Parsons Vice President Marvin Daniels said the flat fee covers everything, including travel expenses, within a four-year construction schedule. He could not say what would happen to the fee if the project stretched beyond four years.

Oversight for the project also would come from the Citizens Advisory Bond Committee. A resolution approved Thursday spells out that the board-appointed committee would review financial reports and project schedules and report on progress. The committee developed the bond proposal and initially agreed to stay involved for five years.

The preliminary construction schedule, which earlier this week gained favor from a board committee, also was approved Thursday.

Phase One would add science labs at all three high schools and build classrooms to replace portable buildings at Central and West Brook high schools. Four new elementary schools would be built in Phase One: Regina-Howell at a new site, Amelia on vacant land at the existing site, Blanchette-Bingman at the Blanchette site and Lucas-Martin at the Martin site. Also, Fletcher Elementary would get an addition to replace portables.

A new athletic complex would come in Phase One, too. Board member Martha Hicks said people want to know why the complex is in Phase One and asked Thomas to explain.

"The sooner we can get projects built, we beat inflation costs," Thomas said. "... You can't build more than four elementary schools at a time because there's only so many places to put students."

Board member Woodrow Reece asked for an answer to rumors that the district will not build everything that is promised.

"I think we have adequate funding if we meet the time," Thomas said. Taking more time would mean more money for inflation, he said.

After the meeting, Thomas responded to a question about what would happen if bids on the athletic complex came in well above the $30 million budgeted.

"I hope it should not happen," Thomas said. "I feel like we're going to be reasonable in the ballpark."

If they were significantly higher, "I think we're going to have to go back and review what we're doing, but I don't think that's going to happen. That's the whole idea behind this study," Thomas said. Phase Two would include five new elementary schools: Sallie Curtis and Caldwood at existing sites, French-Field at French, Dunbar-Ogden at Dunbar and Fehl-Price at Fehl. A new South Park Middle School and additions at other middle schools would come in Phase Two as well.

Other work would come in Phase Three. That includes high school auditoriums and field houses, an expansion of Homer Drive Elementary and other improvements.

In other business, the board:

Set 6 p.m. Nov. 15 as the date to canvass the vote for the bond election.

Approved a resolution to pay employees for the two days missed due to Hurricane Humberto and authorizing the superintendent to decide whether to make up those days. The district is seeking a waiver from the state so those days would not have to be made up.

Updated 11/08/2007 11:06:04 PM CST

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