Bond committee has a plan for BISD
Updated 07/31/2007 03:40:28 PM CDT
 
 

Andrew Nenque/The Enterprise
Sherry Sharp, left, and Miriam Cade Nichol
show documents to bond committee co-chair
Dr. David Teuscher during a BISD bond
meeting on Monday in Beaumont.
 
 
BEAUMONT - A proposal for $440 million in Beaumont school improvements won support Monday from a committee which now will start working to gain support from voters in a planned Nov. 6 bond election.

After more than two hours' discussion of obstacles still in the way, the committee decided to endorse a scope of work that has remained largely unchanged since March.

A smaller group of committee members will meet with the school board in coming weeks to try to trim the final amount and prioritize the work and start dates.

The board must call an election by Sept. 5 to put the issue before voters Nov. 6.

Some committee members, including co-chair David Teuscher, expressed doubts about whether voters would support a single large package rather than a tiered approach. Teuscher said he would share his "serious concerns" with the board, but let members know most committee members supported the single package.

"We're going to have to go back to work in mid-November if it doesn't work," Teuscher said.

Co-chair Paul Brown urged committee members to focus not on the obstacles but what needs to be done.

"When you leave here, you've got to be positive. Don't join anybody in being negative," Brown said.

Brown noted that the Port Neches-Groves school district, with fewer than 5,000 students passed a $125 million bond issue this year, so the nearly 20,000-student Beaumont district should be able to pass a much larger package.

The proposal stands at $443.9 million. The total includes $171.9 million for elementary schools, $59.9 million for middle schools, $51.8 million for high schools and $31.3 million for other facilities including a multi-purpose athletic complex. The balance, $129 million, is for inflation, management fees, high regional construction costs and related expenses.

The plan would take the district from 19 elementary schools to 14 because some schools would consolidate into new buildings at existing campuses. Bingman would combine with Blanchette at Blanchette. Dunbar would combine with Ogden at Dunbar. Fehl would combine with Price at Fehl. Field would combine with French at French. Lucas would combine with Martin at Martin.

New buildings also would replace existing ones at Amelia, Caldwood, Curtis and Regina-Howell.

Among the obstacles and solutions discussed Monday was what to do about South Park Middle School, which consultants recommended rebuilding rather than renovating. The committee decided the board should explore the possibility of building a new middle school at a nearby site and using the historic building for another purpose.

To try to gain support from residents of Bevil Oaks and the northwest part of the district, the committee agreed to recommend having Guess Elementary as the only school zoned to Austin Middle School and rezoning Austin to West Brook High.

To address overcrowding, the committee recommended lowering the cap on capacity after which transfer students are not accepted. The cap is at 96 percent of capacity now. The committee recommended lowering that to 92.5 percent. Teuscher argued it should be even lower, at 90 percent.

For a planned multi-purpose sports complex, the committee will recommend trying to partner with the city of Beaumont on a complex that would be owned and administered by the school district.

The key to gaining support for the multi-purpose complex will be explaining it adequately to the public, committee member Oveal Walker said.

"I think we have enough information to make the case to the citizens of Beaumont," Walker said.

Committee members said the single complex will be less expensive than bringing existing stadiums for Central and West Brook high schools up to standard and building a new stadium for Ozen High, which plays at Lamar University.

If the district passed a $450 million bond issue, the debt tax rate would peak at 27.5 cents per $100 valuation in 2012 and 2013 then drop, according to a presentation by Jane Kingsley, chief financial officer.

bgallaspy@beaumontenterprise.com
(409) 880-0726