BRENHAM ISD BOND TO REPLACE CURRENT JR. HIGH SCHOOL
The public got a chance to see for themselves the cracks in the floor and walls of the current Jr. High School Wednesday evening. Brenham ISD is holding a bond election on May 7th for almost $154 million. If the bond passes, the school district plans to build a new Jr. High for grades 6 through 8 on a site between Cub Stadium and the current Jr. High School. The current Middle School will then be converted to a fourth Elementary School. Each of the four Elementary Schools will then house pre-K through the 5th grade. The bond will also pay for a new CTE building at the current High School as well as renovating the current CTE building. It will also fund improvements at the Kruse Field House, a cafeteria renovation, and a marching pad for the Cub Band at Brenham High School. The bond will also pay for upgrades to the current fiber network, campus security, and bathroom upgrades.
The current Jr. High School has been in continuous use since it was constructed in1964, when it was the High School. The bond will cause school property taxes to rise $.248 per $100 valuation for a total tax of $1.2364 per $100 valuation. That will put Brenham ISD in the middle of current taxes for school districts, and below Burton which now has a tax rate of $1.29 per $100 valuation. Brenham ISD will have Superintendent Dr. Tylor Chaplin on next week to talk about the bond election during their Roundtable Program at 9:06 AM Thursday. Election Day is May 7th, early voting will take place April 25-29 and May 2 and 3.
I’m 70+ years old. My tax rate is fixed on my homestead but the value keeps going up so my taxes do too. I own other property such as land and investment properties. Those aren’t fixed. I figure the rate on my rent houses will go up $150-$200 each average. My renters don’t have the income to pay for that so I absorb most of it.
Now, I can figure out some way to manage this. But, I place the emphasis on value when making investments. That’s where this issue lacks. We spend $150,000,000 on nice new facilities so we can baby sit hundreds of kids who will leave this school system with ZERO ability to contribute in any way to the functions of society. They will be dependent on government for their needs. So…spend the money but don’t expect any value in your investment.
If you raise your rents on your properties the tenants will pay them or find another place to live. If you absorb it and still make a profit but less that is a business decision you as a business man make. You will also make it up another way but it may be down the road. If you are losing money, which I presume you are not, and keep the properties without raising rent wouldn’t you just not be a very wise business man? All that said, won’t you be able to increase rent rates if the school district is one people seek and not one people leave? Guess what – facilities matter to teachers and people moving to Brenham that are seeking nice things before they invest in a home.
It’s unfortunate that some stereotype and overlook opportunities to teach our younger generations. Relationships are the most valuable thing we have. Why not invest time in developing future generations, mentoring others and leading by example? That has been so helpful in my life.
If we don’t teach the young ones values, courage and how to develop character, how foolish do we look standing on the sidelines, complaining about their incompetence?
The band has had fundraisers for a marching pad. Where is that money?
If you think this bond is expensive, just wait until we have to defend the lawsuits that will be filed the day after the bond fails. And for the inflated cost of the new school in the next bond election.
I am really hoping that this bond price tag is a planned negotiation tactic. In other words, this is an over negotiation that they know will fail so they can run another more reasonable one through later that people will accept. The current proposal is going to tack on close to $750/year to the average homeowner (assuming a $300K valuation). I agree a new Jr High is needed, but I am not voting for a bond until it’s trimmed down to something more reasonable.
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I really need a new car. My old one is not safe.
We have this new Ferrari.
But I just need a Chevy. It has so many features I don’t need, and it’s so expensive.
Many of your neighbors’ car payments are less than you would be paying.
It costs more than all the other cars I’ve bought, combined!
Sign here.
But…
Sign here.
As a current teacher at BJH and a parent of children that attend school in this district, I can attest to the fact that our school is beyond repair. Other than the awful conditions that you see in the photos above, we have constant issues with our HVAC system, where classroom temps range anywhere from 57 to 90 degrees at any given time. The science and ELA teachers have arrived to work several times in the last few years with no A/C during the warmest days of the school year. This isn’t a maintenance issue. Because the facility was built as a bomb shelter 50 plus years ago, the whole building has shifted and we are seeing the effects of it. I think we can all agree that we don’t want our children/grandchildren/loved ones going to school and/or working in these unsafe conditions. Take a tour if you’re still not convinced. If you are concerned about the allocation of bond funds, please be aware that, legally, the money can only be used for the items listed in the bond. As far as field house upgrades go, there are compliance issues that the district needs to resolve. Please visit the BISD webpage for more info on tour dates and allocation of funds. In reference to concerns about moving 6th grade to the junior high, that will allow us to open another elementary school and resolve future crowding issues on the elementary level, thus avoiding the need for new elementary school construction. The members of the bond committee have spent countless hours coming up with a plan that will not only benefit current and future Cubs, but also takes into account the growth of this great community! Vote YES!
Brenham is starting to make me want to leave Brenham. ??♀️
Lots of people WILL be leaving Brenham if we don’t have a JH that is safe to attend.
let them leave brenham is getting too big if they leave then we can get a smaller school which would be cheaper
Thank God your not making decisions.
The Junior High School is 58 years old folks! It is time for a new school. I attended school there 40 years ago. It was bad when my children attended. It is horrible now that my grandchildren are there. Surely we care more about the children in our community than what the school shows. Adults, do you want to work in these conditions? Surely not!
If a marching pad is a luxury, so is the football field, baseball field, gym for basketball and volleyball, and tennis courts.
Our field house has no girls dressing rooms – this should have been addressed when it was built. Unfortunately it was not. This is what happens when you cut corners. We need to be compliant.
The only extra I see in this bond issue is converting the middle school to an elementary school, but that amount is only a drop in the bucket.
Converting the middle school to an elementary school prevents us from having to build an additional school. It’s necessary.
Where do all of these kids go after elementary school? We only have 1 junior high and 1 high school. And there are at least 5 private schools in Brenham until 6th grade.
“We need to be compliant”? Are you kidding me? That’s how we got stuck wearing masks everywhere for a whole year. “Just believe what they say and comply”. I will not.
This is in regards to comply to a long standing law, not a request. For both male and female athletes to have equal access to facilities. Giving our female athletes access to female restrooms and showers where they currently have none. This isn’t something that should be controversial. It’s NOT saying trust us and comply to our wishes because we know best. It’s a very real law that we are currently out of compliance. And you don’t have to believe just what they say, go look for yourself. There has been many open facilities tours, and more coming up. I’m sorry the mask mandates got you triggered to the word compliance, but in this case it’s not a wish it’s a basic necessity for our female athletes that use our facilities everyday.
That was meant in reference to having girls dressing rooms in the field house nothing more! One of these days we are going to be sued.
No, we really do need to be in compliance with Federal law or it will cost us a lot of money to fend off Title IX lawsuits in Federal courts and then still have to build these facilities. This is one of the parts of the bond that spends money to save money.
But why has it taken so long for the school board to realize we’re not in compliance?
Honest question, that is a fair question. I don’t know but I’d like to.
They knew. They also know how difficult it is to get money to make appropriate changes to fix everything through a bond. I’d love to see the patchwork at these peoples houses if they do the same things there. If their mindset at home is the same as some of these comments I suspect there are a lot of unhappy wives out there.
If you do not see why this bond is a MUST for this community, please tour the current facilities. As an educator for this district I see a huge need for upgrades. Brenham has outgrown the CTE building at BHS, the Jr. High looks the same as it did when most of our tax payers went to high school there, just add structural issues and horrible mold. Look around. Washington county is growing very quickly, with subdivisions being put in all over. If we do not act now, when will we? Will we sit around for another 58 years for a new Jr. High? Ask yourself what is best for the next generation of young minds, not your own.
It’s hard to know if a new Jr High is necessary because a lot the issues in the pictures appear to be a lack of maintenance more than anything else. With the current state of our economy and soaring inflation, now is not the time for this bond issue.
Here’s some numbers to keep in mind … If you own real estate that has a current assessed value of say $200k, the taxes you pay on that property will increase by almost $500 per year if the tax rate increase listed in the article is accurate and if your valuation doesn’t go up. Your taxes would go from around $2000 per year to $2500 per year if this bond issue passes. That means you’d pay $5000 MORE in taxes over the next 10 years if the valuation on your property doesn’t change … and we all know valuations will go up! Realistically, it’ll probably be closer to $6500 to $7000 more over the next 10 years because of increases in property valuation. That’s in addition to what you currently pay! So, the total taxes you’ll pay on that $200k property over the next 10 years will be over $25,000!
The “other people pay more, so why not us?” mindset is a scammers approach to tax increases. Other school district may have a higher tax rate, but all districts are too high in the first place.
I, for one, will be voting no!
That’s a disappointing view point. You should not want low taxes if it means our children go to school in that building. Shameful.
Our maintenance staff does the best they can, considering the structure itself is crumbling bc it is mostly underground. Go tour that building.
Would you want to teach there? Not just our students, but our teachers deserve better.
The way that debt-financed ownership works for school districts just the same as homeowners is that you borrow some amount to buy an asset at today’s prices. If the price goes up in the future then you don’t suddenly owe more than what you borrowed. That would be renting. Voting for the bond is voting to take out a mortgage, that’s all. What’s different about school districts is that the more people that move in, the more it gets spread around. The more that values go up generally, the lower the tax rate can go to cover the debt service.
The only thing that gives me doubt is that the cost of everything has gone up so much because Americans have become poorer in real terms. Not just because the value of the dollar has gone down. Poorer is poorer. Poor people can’t afford nice things. This much money is a lot to pay for pretty much anything. Maybe we have to admit to ourselves just can’t afford it. Not now and maybe not ever the way things are going.
Not the same. Sorry. Public and private work much differently. Yes Yes. I get it the government bad private is good. But they don’t nor should they work the same.
For the record, I respect the work that’s been done by the bond committee. They’ve been very economical and many facilities are multi-purpose. A lot of what’s spent in the bond is offset by related cost savings. I like it. My only concern is that the cost of a new school has gone up a lot faster than local wages. We won’t do our kids any favors by impoverishing their families to keep them out of only two school years in a windowless bomb shelter. If we had done this some years ago then I’d be on board. Instead I’m on the fence.
The only thing that makes me lean into a yes vote is that it locks in today’s prices and gets paid at future wage levels using a larger future tax base. But if you’re telling me that I’ve got this debt thing all wrong, please be magnanimous and explain it to my ignorant self. Maybe I need to vote against it instead. Or maybe you should actually read the thing you replied to.
I am with you ! Why have 4 or 5 elementary schools. Can we not have more students in 2 or 3 elementary schools and then create a 6-8 school building from one of the elementary schools! ?
Inflation and cost of living is destroying us THANKS BIDEN, so this is something that needs to be placed on the back burner!
Also what about increases on taxes from the city ? What’s happening thete ?
Old saying people respect what the Boss inspects. This is a clear case of failures from top to bottom and those responsible should be held accountable. Now what we really need is leadership,but what really happens is we throw money we can not afford to a situation where a select few get enriched and the taxpayers pick up the check. Maybe we really need a citizens group to monitor both the school board and the administration. Throwing taxpayers money at a management problem is just kicking the can down the road. We need to make obstacles into opportunities. We did not have AC in all the buildings when I went to school and I can do simple math in my head when it comes to making change try giving a kid at the market alternative amount of change that doesn’t add up to what showing on there cashier’s screen blows their minds. So school needs some affordable repairs no problem do the math several estimates and get the funds approved. 153 million well do we really need that kinda expensive burden on us taxpayers it be nice but is it affordable?
Voting no. This bond seems a lot like the big government spending where they try to make us think the bond is for one thing but there’s a ton of wasted money buried in the package for all kinds of excessive, unnecessary items. And I think the kids have a better experience going K-4, then 5-6 together, rather than K-5, then 6-8. If the problem we’re a failing facility due to improper construction or destruction of some type, then a new building might be appropriate. But a new building because you couldn’t maintain the current one….no. There are plenty of buildings that are many times older than the junior high that aren’t being torn down because they’re properly maintained. Be a better steward of the money we’re already giving you and we might be more inclined to give you more.
I would encourage you to come listen to the presentation given and tour the facility. The ‘waste’ of money is continuing to throw it away on a building that should be torn down. The community members that served on the bond committee spent months with tax payers in mind. I would like someone to point out what is there that is ‘fluff’? Security? Internet access? ADA upgrades?
Yeah! That makes since let’s tear down one of our only two bomb shelters in Brenham with the impending threat of nuclear attack. That’s like throwing your umbrella away when the weather report calls for rain. If y’all want to spend money so bad why don’t we build enough bomb shelters for the Washington County population?
With inflation at a historical high, with construction cost at a historical high, not to mention construction supply issues, now is not the time to ask tax payers who are just recovering from the economic disaster of the pandamic to approve a $154,000,000 wish list bond issue. I think this is very poor timing by the school board, the bond committee and the administration.
Come tour the facility. We are out of time.
Out of time for what. Shut that school down. Minimize elementary schools and then start your school in one of the NEW elementary schools you all have built!
People are barely surviving right now. We need a chance to recuperate from 2020!
We need to eat! Pay our bills and survive! Now is not the time !
Preventative maintenance when issues arise would go a long way in keeping the schools in good usable shape.
It does not make sense to just build a new school instead of maintaining the existing buildings.
Repairs to correct the current issues would be a more cost-effective way to spend taxpayer monies.
I agree we should vote no, and then come up with a more affordable option as I am sure there are better options available.
They just need to think this through.
Come tour the facility. It was a bomb shelter. I’m a Native Texan too. I would like my kids to go to school in a safe, healthy school.
Do you not understand the “preventable maintenance ” is far past?? At some point something just has to be done to FIX the problem. Tour the facilities, then speak.
Seems expensive of course, but expected. I went to school there years ago, and it already had that “rugged” look. It’s not a very nice scene for the kids that have to go to school there everyday, and it may paint the picture for their brighter future.
As a concerned taxpayer I have a few questions for the bond committee. Has the bond from the Middle school remodel and Alton new build been paid off? Personal finances would not allow me to take out two mortgages. Also, if it hasn’t been paid off, why are we trying to remodel the middle school again? The realignment is not a NEED it is a WANT by someone in administration that has no roots here and is not vested in the community. Buying a home here does not mean you are fully vested. You can put a for sale sign up tomorrow and be gone. The longtime families that are vested will be left with working multiple jobs to pay the tax rate you created. Why is the proposed plan calling to vacate the newly remodeled Early Childhood campus to realign the elementary school and middle schools? Lots of tax dollars were used for the remodel for it to sit empty. I never hear about higher education institutions wanting a bond to build new campuses to vacate the current buildings. For instance Blinn College Main. It is local, built in 1909 and still serves numerous students each year. They aren’t bellyaching about wanting a new building because it’s falling apart. Those buildings are maintained so they aren’t falling apart. They also do not have students that have disrespect for the building. A new building will not make the disrespect disappear. A new building will be abused just like the old one.
It is public record that Brenham ISD enrollment has not increased in a long time. I am talking about way before Covid. Can the committee provide the last 10 to 15 years statistics on enrollment? This may be of interest to some. The new homes that are being built here are either being occupied by retired individuals or families that homeschool or send their students to other districts or even private schools. For the bond committee to push out to the public that the expectation of growth over the next few years is expected is what I call counting your chicks before they are hatched. I don’t believe that for one second that it will happen. I don’t mean to be negative Nelly but honestly if all districts are allowing students to attend without pay as Brenham ISD decided to do, why would anyone send their student to Brenham ISD if the option to go elsewhere is there?
The bond committee stated too many people are trying to make this bond about money. Perhaps the committee needs to find a way to start a fundraiser to fund this expensive bond. Then the folks that have the extra funds laying around can donate to this bond fundraiser and leave the hard-working families alone. If a family is on a budget and has a fixed income due to their pay, this bond could force them to sell their home and move elsewhere. Another reason enrollment could drop.
The folks moving into the community and paying the high dollar for property is making everyone’s taxes and home values go up. (A lot of these are not families with children which doesn’t help with enrollment.) Therefore taxes are going up on their own without a new bond.
The bond plans need to be reevaluated. Maybe if a more reasonable plan can be decided upon, more would support it.
Dr Chaplin has public answers many of these questions at the public meetings so here are some of my notes that answer your questions. There is some balance remaining on the 2012 bond (I did not write down the exact number), which was refinanced last year to save a lot of money because the rates were so low. The change to the BMS campus would be to add restroom facilities to I believe they said 12 classrooms for the pre-k /k classrooms. The ECLC would not sit empty. There are many ideas of what it can be used for. Like teacher professional development facilities, public education classes, or housing a department there.
Also according to public record the enrollment numbers for Brenham’s enrollments has been growing. From 2016, to 2017, 2018, 2019-2020 school year all had growth in enrollment. In the 2019-20 school year peaked around 5,100 students. There was a drop (as seen across the nation) in the 2020-21, and 2021-22 school year. Based of Brenham’s current enrollment increase through out this school year, and all the data from the demographer there is a stead increase in the next 10 year. Many of our neighbors are experiencing it at a much more rapid rate and scrambling to get several schools build to keep up. Brenham’s shows a manageable growth as long as we are proactive in planning for it. It equate to about 900 students in the next 10 years and that in my opinion is conservative.
To address your question about transfers and not paying. This question also came up at the meeting I attended. First transfers are not automatically admitted. They review if the student had to had discipline issue, what services they may need, how much space is in that grade level, etc. I believe they said district wide we had transfer numbers in the 30’s. Majority of those transfers are teachers who come here to teacher and bring there kids. The number of transfers not tied to a teacher were 7. The state money follows all transfer students. What is more alarming is the number of students who families pay Brenham ISD taxes and send there students to Burton, Belleville and other surround areas. That to me is an strong indicator that we need to make improvements here.
Tax Comparison:
New Caney 1.4603
Snook 1.3474
Waller 1.3248
Burton 1.29
Montgomery 1.26
Navasota 1.2480
Gidding’s 1.2303
College Station 1.2303
Magnolia 1.1872
Somerville 1.1352
Brenham 0.9884
Further Context:
Burton’s enrollment is currently 479 students. Brenham’s enrollment (4920) is over TEN TIMES that of Burton’s. Burton’s bond also addressed very similar issues and projects as Brenham’s. Their tax rate is now 1.29, and Brenhams new proposed tax is 1.2364 still putting it BELOW Burton, as well as Navasota, Waller, Snook, and many more. I am not saying the bond should be for 10 times more than Burton (which is not even proposed for half of that amount). I acknowledge this increase would be a challenge for my family. I also know that property taxes are not set by the school district, and willing to try and figure out how to accommodate this to serve Brenham ISD students, which includes my own children. As someone stated earlier, the different about school districts is that the more people that move in, the more it gets spread around. The more that values go up generally, the lower the tax rate can go to cover the debt service. Essentially the tax rate has to be compressed as more people move here.
You keep offering tax rates but if you look at budgets the Waller isd spends roughly the same per child as brenham but somehow pays their teachers much more. Our tax rate is much lower because of the tax base. It is voted on to cover the budget each year. Is it not? Also I’d ask where the counselors brought in and asked bout mixing 5th grade with k-4 when there’s no way to separate them?
I’d also add that people send their kids to other schools for education purposes and not for facilities.
I’d also like to add people move to school districts that have good facilities and good educational results. I’ll say that one more time. Good facilities and educational results. Facilities are include. Sorry had to say it a third time even though it will go on deaf ears.
Isn’t the tax rate set by the budget versus the tax base? You surely can’t compare Brenham’s tax base with the rest of these districts when we have so much more to tax(manufacturing, businesses, neighborhoods) Secondly Waller isd spends the same amount per child (budgeted) as brenham but pays their teachers much more. Do we have a priority problem? Thirdly people move their kids to other districts for learning and education issues not facility problems(which leads back to the second) fourthly have the counselors from the elementaries been asked what they think about moving 5th grade in with k-4 when there is no way to separate them?
I still don’t understand why Brenham needs a 100 million dollar junior high. Teachers and administrators are the most important part of a school. Having a fancy school that looks like a Colorado ski resort has diminishing returns. Build a structure that is more utilitarian and not pretty to look at because at the end of the day the teachers inside have more of an impact on education than the architecture of the walls. It’s also not an excuse to spend money because our tax rate is low compared to neighboring communities…let’s continue to be good stewards of money and reject this bond as it being proposed.
Have you been on Blinn’s Brenham campus in the past 5 years? There is more new construction on that campus than is planned for Brenham ISD! Blinn buildings do not have 700+ kids and faculty in them everyday.
You are correct. Blinn is building more buildings. Two things: They are not moving out of old buildings and moving into new ones and they service more than 700 students in the buildings. The new construction is for dorms and the new Engineering building. I drive that way often. And no bonds were needed for these builds. The Blinn taxes are nowhere near what is paid for Brenham ISD taxes.
For anyone thinking it is ok to ask tax payers to pay $200 or more a month in taxes for this bond is pushing the middle class into poverty. Those that have never been in this situation will never understand. It is sad that property is never truly owned; it is only leased from the government.
No one is asking you to pay $200 a month unless you’re living in a million dollar home. They are talking about $300-$500 a year for the average taxpayer to make sure my kids and future generations have a safe place to learn.
Wow really, my new house has some cracks in the concrete already! Replace the wood floor it’s the same one since I graduated in 1982! And I’ll Replace the ceiling tiles as needed!
That wood floor actually has been replaced… The ceiling tiles are replaced as needed. The building was built underground, and their is water underneath, along withy old galvanized piping. The building is shifting causing structural issues. They had a specialist come and inspect all the facilities in 2021 and give a full report. They have been doing what they can to maintain and keep it a functioning campus. Continuing to waste money on a building that’s ultimately irreparable is not the smartest option. If it was a viable option to just make repairs and continue to getting used then this wouldn’t be the big ticket on the bond, accounting for 77.7%. Ultimately building new has to happen and the committee was mindful of taxpayers and creative to solve multiple problems with how they structured this. By including 6th grade will help with overcrowding and growth for the elementary campuses. Also, situating the new JHS closer to CUB stadium also serves dual purpose for 2 things. 1. The locker rooms that get used all day by the 6-8 grade athletics will be able to be used in the evenings for high school events at the stadium. Right now the girls do not have facilities there, and it would be more millions to renovate the existing field hose. 2. The parking that will be apart of the junior high all day for teachers, staff, and parents, will be available as extra parking for the stadium. Again being mindful of addressing multiple issues with 1 project to reduce the cost and maximize efficiency.
Will someone push brenham tax payers into the 21st century please so our schools can be healthy and safe for the children in our district! That old high school was in bad shape when I was student in 1979-1982! Really yall!
We must vote no. A new 7th-8th grade Jr. High is the only item that should be included in a bond. Changing 6 campuses with all the remodeling that would be required makes no sense. Going back to 6th grade as part of a Jr. High will not improve education outcomes. A marching pad is a luxury, not a necessity.
I agree, some of the campus remodeling might be confusing. I wonder how they would go about it. However, I must disagree with you on the marching pad. Currently, the grass field that the band uses behind the high school has many holes, rough ground, and it is quite difficult for the band to march on. They keep bags of sand by the tower to fill in holes on the field to keep ankles from being injured. Any slight improvement to the marching surface would only match the standards of the Cub Band’s competition around the area. I’d say if they were asking for an indoor air conditioned facility, then maybe it’s too much, but just a paved or turf field would be a great use of resources. As a former band member and drum major of the Cub Band from a few years ago, I have seen first hand the condition of the surface and its affect on our performers. I agree with you in that I typically don’t like crazy overspending on unnecessary projects, but a new marching surface typically costs roughly $400k and so relative to the $154 million proposal, its not that much of an addition. I hope some of this helps. Please don’t be afraid to reply with any questions about the marching pad, I would like to help.
The new marching pad is far from a luxury, it’s a necessity. The fact that our band can continue to be competitive with the current facilities is a true testament to the hard work the directors (and students) put in daily. Would you expect the football team to play on a field full of grass and weeds and with holes that could break your ankle?!? Please visit these facilities and ask questions before you make decisions on things that are needed.
May need to go to the south side of the building to see how a practice field looks if maintained, the football practice is mowed watered & kept to standards where as the band uses, abuses & walks away to point fingers. in the past at the old high school we marched on black cracking soil all the time, there still i’m sure a bunch of mouth pieces, horn parts or class rings still deep down there that would make a metal detector scream. this is just what the type of soil is good for push off the top black clay, backfill with a good topsoil plant grass in the off season & take pride in it, good to go, point being that’s what our band allumni was for back in the day our parents were always doing things after work & practice they kept our area up to standards Why did you not transfer some of the old turf last year when it was given away to the public for free, would have been perfect to march on. I have two rolls in my back yard my grandkids play on all the time they love it no stickers, cracks or mowing.
Yes, I agree with you. I would vote yes IF it were just for a new Jr. High school. CTE building would be on another bond. Marching pad? Seriously?!
We are voting NO on this high priced bond.
I agree, especially with the statement about putting 6th grade students with 8th graders again…
I don’t mean to be rude but where the band marches now have holes in the ground and when it rains there’s a spot where the water will stand for days on end it may not be the biggest thing but it will certainly be used greatly
Our kids deserve better. We should be ashamed. Vote FOR the bond!!
75% of school districts in the State of Texas house 6-8th grader together and consider those grade levels Junior High. The majority does that because there is evidence based research to show that is more beneficial for the students, and families. As a teacher that has taught in districts with 6-8th grade campuses I can assure you it was no issue for any district I served. The 6th grade students had access to more opportunities and electives as well. In addition, adding 6th grade to the Junior High campus will alleviate crowding at the elementary campuses. Without this change there would be a need for an additional elementary even after the conversion of the BMS campus to a 4th elementary. Lastly if a student start here in Pre-K they will make 5 campus transitions by the time they graduate. These changes will only having students and families change campuses 3 time. Again research shows us the less transitions a students make the more beneficial it is for them academically, socially, and emotionally. There is typically a loss of learning for 6-8 months each time a child transitions. At the end of the day isn’t our goal to provide for our students and families the best we can.
Will the mold in the high school be addressed as well?
Wow, the school just needs to be maintained. This is not rocket science. If the school has a failing facilities maintenance program then they don’t pass to move on to another building.
One of the main points of building a new school facility is that maintenance is “throwing good money after bad”. For people who have not been in the current Junior High School, which was built in 1964, you should go on one of the scheduled tours. This is a proposal that involved many people in our community. Hopefully you will make an informed decision. The tax rate in BISD has been one of the lowest within an extended radius around Brenham. I hope Brenham folks pay respect to the people involved in developing this proposal and especially the families in our great community who want a safe educational environment for our children. This Bond will help bring BISD into the current realm of what is essential for our students.
This person has no ideal what they are talking about and obviously has not seen the school in person. This is not a maintenance problem. They are doing as much as they can. But when you have water seeping through the walls because most of the school is under ground it would cost big money to dig a trench around the entire school waterproof it and install new drainage and that just fixes one thing. You also have galvanized piping throughout the entire school that so corroded it backs up the toilets all the time, the building is sliding into a hole on one side and there is water under the gym floor. Yes maintenance could fix that but it would cost millions of dollars. Dollars that could be used to pay teachers a better wage and you still have a 60 year old building that has no natural light, no room for growth, halls that are too small and has 4 other buildings that are not connected to the main building.
Hmm! All of this did not just happen overnight….why are these problems just now being hyped up? And with a completion date of 2024 or 2025, we are looking at 2-3 years before the new school will be utilized. So, what about the students that will be attending the next 2 to 3 years….their safety and well-being? The school was built in 1964….so! Many of the renovated downtown buildings are much older. Spending 20-30 million to bring the school up to par would seem more feasible. It would buy time for stabilization of the economy. Many of our families are hurting financially and inflation projections are not good. We need to consider the welfare of all our citizens. A good education should never be dependent on a building!
I am curious about why have we not had any “exemplary” or “outstanding” achievements in how many years? And the reason is because the schools are old?
The state has not used those terms in campus evaluations since the last time the campus earned those recognitions. It has been years since those terms were used for state accountability.
Honestly ! That’s what it is always about. Teachers and a better wage !
They don’t even teach anymore. You put children on a computer then send them home to complete homework on a computer.
You do not take enough time to show kids how to work the problems out but send them home to parents to help them!!
Want better wages? I hear schools ALL OVER America are offering bonuses to teach at THEIR SHOOLS !
You are so completely wrong with your statement about teachers not teaching. Yes they do send students home to do work on the computer, it’s called homework! Also if the kid doesn’t understand the problems maybe they should speak up in class or after school and maybe even pay close enough attention in class instead of being distracted by everything else around them! That’s kind of the way it works when you only have a limited amount of time per class period to provide these kids with the material they are supposed to learn. Teachers are way underpaid and way over burdened with too many kids that are disrespectful and disruptive and show absolutely no respect for many of them.
Our maintenance staff in Brenham gets a GRADE of excellent for busting it trying to make the current junior high as safe and clean as possible. We are expecting miracles from them. It’s not fair. Go take a tour!! Vote FOR the Brenham Bond.
No. It’s too much at once.
You can repair, and maintain more than you think. All does not need to be done at once. The increase in taxes is only going to increase as soon as the district ups the values again. The price of everything is too high now, and will come down again, but it will take time.
The overly entitled people who are behind this are clueless to realalistic needs vs. wants.
It ALL doesn’t need to be done at once, nor should it. VOTE NO!!!
According to the engineers (the experts), maintenance isn’t a solution here. It’s simply a very expensive, cost prohibitive quick fix. A ripoff if you will.
Besides that, poor maintenance doesn’t create foundation problems, be they minor, or in this case major.
Doesn’t make sense if the school is in bad shape and have to build a new one but then you going to use the old one for the same thing. Doesn’t make sense at all Why haven’t the maintenance crew keeping up and repair things as they get broke and fix them. Sound like and looks like they don’t do anything at all except
The old school will be destroyed not reused.
I agree with this assessment. Why were the water leaks not addressed? This is a black eye on the school district to showcase how they have let maintenance go to the point of extensive mold and other damage inside. Really makes me want to vote for the bond. Unacceptable!
The maintenance team has made a tremendous effort to do what they can. They have repaired some issues multiple times. They have brought in structural engineers, and specialist to assess multiple times. Other items cannot be repaired because they don’t make the parts anymore. The school is build underground, has water underneath it, it’s sinking and shifting, and theirs old galvanized piping underneath. It would be a waste of tax payers money to continue to make repairs that will ultimately have to be repeated and the result would still be a new building. The more years we wait to replace the junior high school, the more wasted money, the higher the price tag to build a new campus. That 1963 bomb shelter of a campus has served its purpose, and it the most viable option is to build new.
I must agree with you. Let the structural engineers have the last word here. The foundation repair and MEP replacement alone on that campus would be astronomical. Besides, how long would it take for all of those repairs? Would a temporary campus be needed while the work was progressing? It’s time to nuke the old bomb shelter.
The old Jr. High will be demolished, not used.
Just curious what happened to the previous high school on market street
It’s called pride academy, used to be the ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL. Still there and YES still has students on a daily basis !
The building on Market Street has not been a high school for almost 50 years. I’m 61 and I attended 5th grade there because it was then the middle school. My mother graduated from Brenham High on Market Street in 1959.
I bet it will cost more to tear it down than it did to build That will mean more money so they just keep raising the property taxes all the burden is put on property owners not fair