Some information from the Ennis Daily News about the upcoming school bond election.
Locations of proposed new EISD facilities released
Henry Martinez, Special ContributorBond election early voting dates set for April 28-May 6
The Ennis ISD Board of Trustees on Tuesday approved an order calling for a bond election for May 10, 2008.
The bond package totals $48.985 million, and includes the following items:• A new intermediate school (grades 4-6) with a capacity of 800 students. The proposed site for this school would be on part of the current Ennis Junior High School campus, west of Clay Street.
• Expansion and conversion of the Sixth Grade Center into an intermediate school (grades 4-6) by adding a wing, with a total capacity of 800 students.
• A new Early Childhood Center with an initial capacity of 400 students and the capability to expand to 600 students in the future. The proposed site for this school would be on the former Carver school property at Martin Luther King Drive.
• Expansion of Travis Elementary School by 150 students. Travis is the smallest school in the district but is projected to experience sizeable growth over the next decade. The expansion also has the benefit of improved cost-effectiveness by raising enrollment to better match the other elementary campuses.
• Technology upgrades at the Sixth Grade Center to match the new intermediate campus.
The bond package addresses two issues – the closure of the intermediate school and enrollment growth in grades PK through sixth – that were discussed by the EISD Facility Needs Study Committee earlier this year. The two new schools and Sixth Grade Center expansion would be projected to open by August 2009. Timing for the expansion at Travis is still being evaluated.
If current growth projections hold, this bond package should address EISD enrollment needs until 2017.
“We received strong feedback from the Facility Needs Study Committee for a bond program that addresses our needs for the next decade, rather than coming back every 2-3 years with bond proposals,” said Dr. Eddie Dunn, EISD superintendent. “Our board was very receptive to that line of thinking, which is why the elementary expansion at Travis is also included in the bond package.”
The tax rate impact for the average-priced home in Ennis ISD of $88,860 would be $71 a year.Trustees indicated their wish to avoid the cost of purchasing land for sites. Due diligence (soil tests, environmental studies, etc.) is being conducted on the Carver site and district property adjacent to the current junior high campus, west of Clay Street. EISD staff and the community will be informed when the due diligence is completed and sites are confirmed.
It is anticipated that the historical Ennis Junior High School building, at 501 N. Gaines, will be the future home for the district’s Soar, Pride and Dare programs. In addition, an alternative high school is being developed to recapture dropout students and at-risk students in danger of dropping out, also to be housed in that building.
“We anticipate this historical main building also becoming home to adult education classes, a GED program, an education foundation that is being studied, and other important educational outreach programs,” Dr. Dunn added.
The early voting period for the bond election is April 28 through May 6 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day (except Saturdays, Sundays and legal state holidays) at the EISD Administration Building, 303 W. Knox.
Temporary branch voting will take place as follows from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the following days:
• Sixth Grade Center, 2200 W. Lampasas, Monday, April 28
• Early Childhood Center, 1701 Lampasas, Tuesday, April 29
• Austin Elementary School, 1500 Austin Dr., Friday, May 2
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Ennis, 1211 S. Clay, Saturday, May 3
• Ennis High School, 1405 Lake Bardwell Dr., Monday, May 5
• Houston Elementary School, 1701 S. Hall, Monday, May 5
• Bowie Elementary School, 501 Jeter Dr., Monday, May 5
• Travis Elementary School, 200 N. Shawnee, Monday, May 5
• San Jacinto Auditorium, 501 N. Gaines, Tuesday, May 6
Election Day voting on May 10 will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the EISD Administration Building.
3 Comments
March 8, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Stupid to spend bond money on technology when it can be leased, refreshed every 3 years at minimal impact upon M&O budget.
March 9, 2008 at 7:53 am
The School Board has a rude thought if they think this will pass after all the screw up that hve gone on in the past 10-15 years. I.E. Purchase of land from Byron Walker, dba Walker Rodeo Ranch. And why wasnt the last of the schools built on property already owned by EISD.
March 9, 2008 at 8:15 am
Don’t forget Lester…”it’s for the kids”. That’s what porks the property owners each time a district wants to expand it’s fiefdom at your expense! Let’s see how long it takes for that byte to hit the papers, mailers and word o’ mouth.
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