(Seguin) — The Seguin ISD is laying out even more details behind the various items being proposed for a possible $21.75 million bond issue this May.
The items were discussed during Wednesday night’s board workshop.
The school board last month voted to table the idea of a bond issue.
Trustees felt they needed to know more about what was being prioritized and proposed to voters.
Leading the list of needs in Proposition A is $7.5 million for facilities upgrades at the Irma Lewis Seguin Outdoor Learning Center. Although the district purchased the property last year, upgrades are needed across the facility, including a completely new ropes course, a structural upgrade of its science building and an upgrade to its walking trails to ensure a high level of inclusion for all those using the property.
District officials say the upgrades are sufficient for phase one of the SOLC’s future and would allow them to use property to full capacity.
They say they don’t want to overdevelop the facility but want to ensure that the proper and necessary upgrades are made. Now while the SOLC will be made available to students this Spring, the district realizes the importance of investing in the property now. They say this investment will help operate the SOLC for the next several years.
The next item being considered for possible voter approval is $3 million for land acquisition. They say the investment in land is not specific to a campus but instead would allow the district to purchase land at today’s prices.
Next on the list of bond project considerations is $6.5 million for school safety and security. Included in this plan is the Front Row System, a robust solution for school-wide communication that includes emergency notification and response plus school bell and paging intercom abilities among all classes. The system would include lanyards for all employees. The lanyards would act as a silent panic alarm during lockdowns or medical emergencies. The system would also help to address state mandates asking that districts secure their schools.
The district is also considering the purchase of six student activity buses for $750,000. The buses described more as shuttle buses would help the transportation of students in athletics and CTE. Not only is the district experiencing a shortage of bus drivers but there is also reportedly not enough coaches with CDL’s to drive the buses to sporting events. They say the lack of rental vehicles and their annual expense also have them prioritizing such buses for a potential bond.
Proposition B would also call for a roll out of classroom technology district wide with the purchase of $3.7 million in touch screen or digital white boards. The boards described as large, big screens are mobile and will serve as interactive tools for classroom instruction.
Prior to Wednesday night’s board workshop, district officials did note the hosting of a facilities committee meeting with community stakeholders. It was reported that during that meeting, the future of Weinert and Jefferson Avenue Elementary School were also discussed. Board member Denise Crettenden shared how the second phase for a Jefferson renovation has not been brought back to the table nor has anything been considered for Weinert – two of the district’s oldest properties.
The consideration of these projects in a future bond issue is still to be determined.
Seguin ISD Interim Superintendent Dr. Veronica Vijil says the district will spend these next few days finalizing a plan for a bond or preparing perhaps a new direction in which to take.
“There is a lot to consider so what I want constituents to know is – a word that was repeated over and over yesterday was transparency and we want transparency, and we want to be transparent. We also want to be very honest with our words, saying that it might take more time. We don’t know. We are going to work day and night 24/7 to be able to answer every question that they have with full transparency. Considering everything that has been brought to the table, can we do it in a week? I don’t know but we certainly are going to try because this is important for students so we will try but if we can’t, then we will acknowledge that we can’t and we will postpone. It will obviously be up to the board of trustees, but we will work day and night to get them the information that they need so that they can make a sound decision and that our constituents also are behind this effort and understand the why of the timing,” said Vijil.
If the Seguin ISD is to host a bond election in May, the school board must take that action before Feb. 16.
Should it decide to move forward with ordering a bond election, then district officials say the financial impact would be zero to the current tax rate. District officials say the area’s continued growth and positive financial standing would allow the district to secure the bonds with no additional burden to taxpayers.
If ordered, the bond election would be held on Saturday, May 4.