HISD makes changes to bond proposal

Monday, September 17, 2007

(9/17/07 - HOUSTON) -- HISD will renovate more schools and consolidate fewer schools under a revised bond construction plan announced by officials Monday

After a series of six town hall style meetings with the public across Houston, HISD officials announced changes to the bond proposal. Voters will be asked to approve the $805 million construction plan in an election on November 6.

At a news conference at 82-year-old Jackson Middle School, which would get $16 million in renovations under the plan, Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra and HISD board members praised the community's input on the bond proposal and announced the revised plan.

Revised HISD bond plan
New plan takes public recommendations, remains based on independent, expert facility study

A brand-new Patterson Elementary instead of renovating the old school.
A brand-new school to replace Ross and Scott elementary schools instead of the original plan to replace Ross, Scott, and Isaacs Elementary and Fleming Middle School with a K-8.
A brand-new school to replace the old Atherton and Dogan elementary schools at the Atherton site instead of the original plan to replace Atherton, Dogan and Smith Education Center with a K-8 school.
A brand-new school to replace the old MacArthur and Peck elementary schools Instead of replacing Peck and Hartsfield elementary schools with one school.
Renovations at both Cullen and Ryan middle schools instead of building one new school to replace both Cullen and Ryan. HISD also would reaffirm its commitment to the Ryan building by moving the HISD central region office there.
Renovations at both Whidby and Shearn elementary schools instead of one new school to replace both schools.
A brand-new Lewis Elementary School to also serve Bellfort Academy instead of an expansion of Lewis.
Renovations at 134 schools

The proposed new bond issue still calls for most of the same projects as the first bond issue, including, as originally proposed:

$90 million in safety and security upgrades at every school: The plan would mean new fencing, security cameras, public address systems and other security enhancements across the entire district.
$29.2 million for new science labs in middle and high schools

A new school to replace Sherman and Crawford elementary schools
A new school to replace Kennedy and Allen elementary schools
Facilities for two new and one renovated Early College campuses
A new Roosevelt Elementary
A new Lovett Elementary
A new Berry Elementary
A new Carnegie Vanguard High School
A new Cunningham Elementary
A new Almeda Elementary
A new Herod Elementary
A new Piney Point Elementary
A new Gregg Elementary
A new De Chaumes Elementary
A new Frost Elementary
A new Horn Elementary

* 3 new schools to relieve overcrowding, including:

A new school to relieve overcrowding at Mitchell Elementary
A new school to relieve overcrowding at Neff and White elementary schools
A new school to relieve overcrowding at Dowling Middle School
Expansion of Valley West Elementary
Expansion of Crockett Elementary
Renovations and an addition to Lockhart Elementary, which also would replace Turner Elementary;
Renovations and an addition to McDade Elementary, which also serve Kashmere Gardens Elementary.

Over the past decade HISD has been in a close partnership with the community to build and renovate schools. Voters in 1998 and again in 2002 approved bond issues for HISD, and the school district built 41 new schools and renovated more than 100 others over nine years. HISD planned a decade ago to meet all of its facilities needs with three separate bond issues, and the school board approved the third and final bond issue in August to go on the November ballot for voter approval.

"African-American, white, Hispanic and Asian families all across Houston have benefited from those new and improved schools. The entire community has benefited because a decade ago the HISD school board, with the strong support of elected leadership of the community and business leaders, made a critically important decision. At the dawn of this decade-long effort to improve our school buildings, the HISD school board decided that schools would be built and improved based on need not based on politics," Dr. Saavedra said at the news conference Monday.

HISD's bond programs, like the one this year, have been developed based on the expert recommendations of architects and engineers and building experts who studied the buildings and recommended those that needed the most work.

"The result of that has been a professional, independent, non-political assessment of the real facility needs across the Houston Independent School District. That honesty and integrity has been the hallmark of the HISD bond programs," Dr. Saavedra said.

The result of the honest assessment of facility needs and the support of voters has been schools the community is proud of.

"When the community walks through the virtually brand new Wheatley High School, they see a first-class facility that has helped to draw more children to the school and revitalize the neighborhood. Anyone who drives to Hobby airport can drive right past the beautiful new Ortiz Middle School, where children go to class in a school designed to look like the airport itself. There at Ortiz, children dream of their own futures taking flight. Or ask children and parents about how excited they are to walk in the new Mark Twain Elementary School. The community was so excited about that new school that they didn't mind children going to school in trailers while the new school was being built. They just simply renamed the trailers "Huckleberry Park" and went right on learning, and now they have a beautiful new school," Dr. Saavedra said. "That story has replayed throughout the city as new schools and better schools have risen where just a decade ago the children of Houston were attending classes every day in substandard buildings that no one could be proud of."

Jackson Middle School, 82 years old, is a good example of why the school district called for the bond election. "This school was built before the Great Depression, if you can believe that. Calvin Coolidge was President. A postage stamp cost 2 cents. And there was no such thing as television. That's how old this school is," Dr. Saavedra said. "Jackson Middle School is in some ways falling apart. The independent, outside experts came into this building and studied it, and determined that this school needs $16 million in renovations."

The superintendent said the school district will work over the next 51 days to take the bond program information to the public to make sure they are fully informed before election day. He said HISD's strong academic progress gives schools reason to cheer.

"The Houston Independent School District we all see today is a different, better place. We have a record number of exemplary and recognized schools. Our SAT scores are rising rapidly while the national average is falling. Record numbers of our students are taking and passing advanced placement courses to prepare for college. Our children are learning more than ever before," Dr. Saavedra said. "We thank the community for their strong support, and our teachers and administrators for their great work. And we promise that we will always fight for the best interests of all of them."

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