BRENHAM SCHOOL BOARD MOVES FORWARD WITH BOND ELECTION
At a brief meeting at noon today (Monday) the Brenham School Board authorized a school bond election to take place May 7th.
The $153.9 million bond election will include a new junior high school for grades 6-8 and repurposing Brenham Middle School for grades Pre-K-5. The bond project would also call for several upgrades at the high school, including an expanded Career and Technical Education (CTE) building and CTE renovations, upgrades to the field house locker rooms and cafeteria and a band marching pad. In addition, the proposal would fund districtwide accessibility and security improvements and fiber internet enhancements. Superintendent Dr. Tylor Chaplin said a best-case scenario would have the new junior high open in August 2024. The old junior high school would then be torn down once the students have moved to the new school. Only the Washington County Appraisal District Office and the Brenham ISD Technical Department would be retained.
The bond should take care of the district’s expected 1.2 to 1.8 percent yearly growth over the next 10 years. A bond planning committee was formed and met 8 times in the fall of last year. They looked at over 60 projects needed in the district and narrowed the list down to the 13 most important. The board decided not to adjust the bond committee’s recommendation and decided to go forward with the nearly $154 million bond election.
Brenham ISD last passed a bond in 2012 for $25.9 million to build Alton Elementary School and renovate the middle school. Prior to that, the district passed a $10 million bond in 2004 to build Brenham Elementary School and a $23.6 million bond in 1994 to build a new high school and auditorium. Dr. Chaplin said they would not know the term of the bonds until they are sold, but estimated they would be between 30 years and the maximum length allowed by state law, 40 years. The issue will now go before voters in the May 7th election.
Why build these fancy schools and then in a few years later build another one. Why not build something as cheap as you can or build it where it can be added on to easily in the future. I went to school in the 60’s and 70’s we had no AC and very little heat until we got to high school Wouldn’t it be cheaper to just remodel. Classrooms are cheap the gym cafeteria and auditorium is expensive
I see a lot of people posting about the “Conditions” of the current school… First off I would like to say that I attended JR High school during the late 70’s and classes were held in what was called “Portable” Buildings Or “Temporary” classrooms, they were metal buildings that were cold in the winter and if it rained too hard you could not hear the teacher. We had to walk from each class on wooden Semi covered hallway That were cold and allowed Rain to get on us we survived, and no one complained. The second thing I would Like to say is if you think the schools are in bad shape why not gather a group of parents that are in favor of the new Bond election and meet every Saturday and clean the schools, Paint or repair the classrooms. Even donate money to repair it. Not everyone can afford an increase in taxes right now. as Inflation has skyrocketed. All you folks wanting the schools to be in better shape, Get out and organize a cleaning, Painting group and get to work….
Telling the tax payers, the parents, the long time residents of Washington County that are not as smart as our educational professionals is Definitely not going to your bond issue passed. Now you sound like the Governor that just got voted out of his office in Virginia for professing to be the smartest all mighty and that the parents do not get a say so in their children’s education. I beg your pardon!!! It’s my money, it’s the tax payer’s money that funds all of this. Salaries, buildings, electricity bills, lunches, books in the library, oh and that sweet marching pad that the high school wants for the band. Insinuating that our intelligence level is not the same as “educational professionals” is a complete insult. You evidently need to do a little more research on how not to offend the tax payers of a community. And don’t tell me we don’t pay for the lunches because they are free. Where do you think that grant money comes from? Nothing is free. It’s has to come from somewhere. It doesn’t just appear out of thin air.
My calculations show that the total cost for a person with a house valued at $200,000 with a 30 year bond would be $14,910 and for a 40 year bond would be $19,880 spread out over that number of years in addition to all other taxes. We are spending our children’s and grandchildren’s money.
My calculations show that 30 years of 5% annual increases in a $200k house will yield appreciation of $664k. But everybody knows that good school districts yield home price appreciation. (An extra 0.5% yields an extra $334k due to compound interest.) This bond issue is a gift you can give your kids three times, first because they get to use the schools, then because they get to reap the benefits of better education, and ultimately because they inherit your house and it’s worth more.
Does anyone know why current junior high does not include 6th grade? Would lessons we learned in the past be erased by recombining?
Also, where can I find details about new proposed school? As a taxpayer, a lot basic information is not being reported, like how much of $153.9 MM is allocated to each project and new school. Do basic or detailed plans exist for proposed buildings and projects? How were proposed amounts for projects and new school estimated or quantified?
I also would like to know why current JH building and grounds couldn’t be renovated and built on to meet needs? What are the needs? Were any engineering analyses performed to consider this during bond planning?
I can’t support this bond without understanding or considering these basic details which aren’t being reported, or may be reported and I haven’t seen them.
Schools should be warm in the winter, cool in the summer and dry when it rains. PERIOD
They do not have to be palaces to honor administrators and board members lack of fiscal responsibility. I have a reasonable home because it was what I could afford (at least I could until we get hit with this tax bump). Board members and administrators are being poor stewards of public funds at a time when inflation is at a 40 year high.
I hope this fails miserably and it sends a message to come back with drastically revised figure.
Work with what you have. Renovate! New buildings are not always better. New this, new that! Tax us more! Bleed us dry! What needs to be new is the curriculum. Take a look at all the Old buildings that are being used to this day. Universities, federal buildings, churches, courthouses, KWHI building. Amazing those are still standing uh!
You clearly didn’t read or choose to understand any of the material published until this point. The point of the group brought in to assess needs DID look at renovations as a possibility. They professionally determined that the costs to renovate the JH building exceeded the cost of building a new one. In addition, even a renovated JH would not be able to meet the capacity needs currently or expected based on trends. Also, the JH is not a historic building worth preserving. It’s an old, ugly eye sore that is falling apart at the seams.
As for curriculum, that’s neither here nor there. That’s not the issue on the table, nor is it anything settled on the local level. You want to fix that, run for the State Board of Education.
You are one of the people I’m SURE who loves to complain about taxes but also complains about the quality of Brenham Schools, teachers, etc. You simply cannot have it both ways. This bond is not wasted money. It is an investment in our staff, students, and community.
Have you been in the jr. high with the kids there today? It’s too spread out for the behavior problems. There is no science labs, equipment, or prep room. The cafeteria is too small. The English rooms smell like urine, not to mention skunk because the critters go under the buildings and no telling how much asbestos is being breathed by teachers and students! In that bond, there also needs to be an increase in teacher pay in order to get good teachers and retain the good ones you already have! If you haven’t been to the junior high, you need to go and see how bad it is and no renovation would help it except it being imploded!
Throwing money at schools does not equate to improved learning. Look across the creek at Somerville ISD: students were failing to meet educational standards and much of the problem was laid at the foot of a poor learning environment. Folks were told over and over scores would improve if only the facilities were adequate. 12-13 million dollars later the school is still failing to meet basic standards. Buildings do not educate children.
As a former BISD employee with previous responsibilities related to the District Facilities, a bond is definitely needed.
The question always comes down to needs, versus wants. Grade alignments are curriculum based, and include economy of scale and and structures. Whether the amount is feasible depends on the voters, they pay the bills. It will never be cheaper to build in the future! It’s always been a pay me now, or pay me more later world. Construction costs are increasing faster than in the past, due to raw material shortages, and the basic fact the skilled trades areas have been ignored as true career fields. BISD needs a Bond Issue to pass, the taxpayers will determine that.
This is an unreasonable amount. I have a student in Brenham public schools and we already pay too much for the education we get. The curriculum is much less rigorous than when I went to school and the costs per student have exceeded inflation. This district already spends nearly $10,000 per student. It is time they go back to the drawing board and start choosing what is absolutely needed and what would just be nice. We can’t keep giving them a blank check and not demanding accountability for their outcomes. It is not good for us, but in the long run, it is not good for our students.
This is absolutely not realistic. That $10,000 a student average is a terrible metric for school spending. Brenham ranks well below the state average in most important spending metrics and in teacher pay. Part of the issue surrounding Brenham schools is stingy taxpayers who think they know more than educational professionals and try to tell them how to do their jobs. That arrogance is exactly how we got here. You don’t understand school finance or education, but come on here to complain and tell teachers what to do.
You want to fix rigor and accountability? Great! PAY TEACHERS MORE! Brenham can not recruit or retain high quality staff at the current pay scale they’re at. Why would a talented teacher stay in Brenham when they could go 25-30 minutes in any direction and make upwards of $10,000 more? What is left are teachers who couldn’t get hired anywhere else and don’t deserve to teach, and those who have their families here and stay out of obligation to their community.
And those that stay out of love and obligation to their community get to come on here and read comments from their community members about how bad of a job they’re doing. So glad you are “realistic.”
For someone who went to brenham schools, and stayed in Brenham my whole life. Can someone answer why we should pay more taxes and more taxes? If the school district would run the school more like a business and less like it’s not a big deal just to raise the taxes anytime we want then it might be a better situation. I work for a family owned and operated business here in Brenham, and I am paid good for Brenham. My point is say we pass this bond election to build a new school. Then what next year we will need something else, so we just raise taxes again to pay for that? Where does it end? I don’t know about y’all, but I don’t have an unlimited amount of money! You shouldn’t have to work all day just to make your mortgage and taxes. I mean come on $153.9 million. Where does all the tax money go we pay every year? Wonder if we could cut down some of the wasted tax money every year. Could we afford a new school then? When I was in school my parents paid for my school lunches. It’s my understanding that all students get free lunch and breakfast I wonder how much does that cost the tax payers? Not to mention hiring outside contractors for maintenance while they also pay the maintenance folks that work for the school. Sounds like we are paying someone to do a job that not being done plus paying a contractor to do a job too. Just wondering instead of raising taxes so high the commonwealth can’t afford, Could we maybe try and save some money in certain places to afford nice things. How much do our school administrators make, and how many do we have?
Anyone who pays the Brenham ISD taxes on one property, or multiple properties, needs to vote this down, and have them come up with a more reasonable figure, and expectation. Whether you have kids in school in Bisd or not, this price tag is WAY too big, an too inclusive, right out of the gate.
New things are nice, and growth is a real issue, but you can’t always get what a few want, when they want it.
Be smart folks, vote NO.
MAKE them come up with a more reasonable figure.
And let the students suffer in the meantime. Great plan, bud. Brenham didn’t set this number. This isn’t imaginary. It’s not even the original proposed figure, which was much higher. This isn’t a waste of money. This is an investment for staff, students, and the community. They deserve that!
The students are not “suffering” now.
Building most anything in today’s current inflated market is a bad idea, unless it is a necessity, not a want.
Wants and needs.
You can’t fix it all at once.
The current amount is too high.
This will not pass it’s current form.
That is the truth, friend.
Go check out the Junior high it should have been condemned years ago. You want to place blame, focus on the previous boards that have kicked this can down the road for over a decade. This bond could have been almost 250,000,000 instead the planning committee paired it down to a more realistic number.
Nonsense.
It is too high now.
Be realistic.
$250 million???
Good grief!
I agree with you Parent. And putting 6 graders with 7 and 8 is just asking for disaster. There needs to be a lot more thought put into this merging these age groups together One question that wasn’t answered was “ where” is the new JR High going to be built? I just want to know what other land does the school district already own or will they need to purchase more with the 154 million? Maybe they will sell off the land on Shepard Ln or 389 to help off set it by a few bucks. Oh wait! Why not sell off all the land in Tom Green county to help pay for some of this? I know they sold some, and lease some. I never understood why or how BISD has land in Tom Green county ( San Angelo) I’m sure it’s not worth 154 million but every little bit helps. Food for thought. I’m still voting against it.
Before we went to the K-4th grade elementary school system we have now, the Middle School on FM 577 was for grades 6, 7 & 8. Each campus had 2 grades, starting with Kinder and 1st, then 2nd & 3rd, and so on. Everyone went to every campus and changed every 2 years until ‘Middle’ school which was 3 years. Then to High School, where the Jr High is now. We all survived the 3 grades together. The new school will be built between the football field and the school on Carlee Dr (Jr High).
Just for reference …. that school on Carlee Dr was built with a bomb shelter for WW2 so I think we have gotten our moneys worth and time to replace it.
The bomb shelter was designed and placed in the school because of threats tied to the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The school on Carlee Drive opened in 1964. Many years after the end of WW2.
Sorry but I just can’t let it go. The school on Carlee Dr was built in the 1960’s and correctly it is a bomb shelter. The last I checked WW II ended in 1945 somewhere near 18 years before the school opened.
Growing up in Brenham the middle school housed 6-8 grade and it wasn’t a problem. Each grade level had it’s own hallway. I know times have changed, but like it or not, Brenham is growing, so more schools and updates are needed. Also the new jr high will be built between Cub Stadium and the current jr high. Please go take a look anytime you can and see that a new school is needed. Mold and mildew is coming up through the floors and the only thing the elderly are worried about is taxes going up. I pay my share of taxes, but I also support the health, well being and education of our community.
6-8 middle school is the norm throughout the rest of the state and country. It *was* the norm here until the late 90s. Combining those grades is not the end of the world, you’re just looking for something to criticize.
Brenham ISD, along with many other school district owns land around the state as essentially savings, a hedge against inflation, and passive income via mineral rights. That land value and income isn’t tied to state finance and budgetary rules in the same way as other district assets. Selling that land would solve short term finance issues and may pay for this bond, but the loss of revenue in the future would vastly impact long-term budgetary needs.
So you are asking the school district to either
A. Meet current needs for students by crippling the financial future of the district
or
B. Rely on the community (WHO BENEFITS FROM THE SCHOOLS) to make a moderate investment in their community.
It’s a no brainer, but this community is determined to undermine the success of their schools while also complaining about them non stop.
Whos complaining about the schools? I see no one complaining about the schools but ..you Seneca. Complaining about the schools and complaining about the teachers and curriculum are two totally different things
I remember helping some friends chaperone a party for their 8th grader. There were 6,7,8th graders. We spent the whole night keeping the 7th & 8 th graders from making out. Spent the whole night telling the 6th graders to stop climbing the antenna tower, no jumping in pool, stop wrestling on the dirt…point is, I was amazed at the difference between the 6th graders and the others. I’m no expert but I think they should be separated.
im sorry but elementary schools should stop at 3rd grade… right now 4th grade is pushing it…
but to put 5th graders in the same campus as pre-k…. not acceptable
Someone is living in the past! If you look at schools around us we are in the minority just a quick search shows Waller, Hempstead, Bryan, Burton, and one of Bellville’s schools are all PK-5, EE-5, or as in Burton PK-6. There are multiple studies showing the benefits of a PK-5 school. People threw a fit when Brenham ISD added 4th to the elementary schools and nothing happened. If you schedule a day correctly a PK student will never interact with a 5th grade student. So my question to you is if you don’t like 5th grade at the elementary schools what school district are you gonna send them to. Most in this area are already that way.
ummm Bellville is not a prek-5 their elementary school is pre k – 3rd. They have an intermediate campus that is just 4th and 5th graders.