BRENHAM SCHOOL BOARD REVIEWS PRIORITIES FOR BOND REPAIRS, UPGRADES
Monday’s Brenham ISD bond update presented to the Brenham School Board included an outline of a series of project priorities across the district.
Rice & Gardner principal-in-charge Eric DiPasquale laid out the top tasks being evaluated by the program management team: roofing repairs and replacements; addressing mechanical, electrical and plumbing issues; and interior improvements such as for flooring and walls.
DiPasquale said crews have walked the campus and facility roofs to make initial assessments and have scheduled drone flyovers. The roofs have been ranked in terms of urgency to take care of, with the junior high, middle school and Early Childhood Learning Center campuses ranking at the top of the list. He noted, though, that as the district considers the future of its facilities, it will need to decide whether to pursue short-term or long-term upgrades.
Some of the assessments for mechanical, electrical and plumbing have identified major deficiencies in the Community Education building, with recommendations calling for substantial work on the HVAC system, electrical service and plumbing system, as well as a new fire alarm system. However, DiPasquale said the improvements would trigger ADA compliance issues and necessitate upgrading the facility to meet code standards, something that could elevate the project from a renovation to a restoration and quickly become very costly.
As for the interiors, DiPasquale said there are several areas being looked at, including flooring replacement in the Krause Elementary School gym and cafeteria, corridor wall protections at Brenham Elementary School and flooring replacement in the cafeteria, floor repairs at the Alton Elementary School cafeteria, and replacing the rubber gym floor at Brenham High School.
DiPasquale also provided an update on the work to replace a failed air handler unit that controlled the HVAC in the gym and cafeteria at Krause Elementary School. The emergency repairs were completed the week before school.
Click here to view the bond update slideshow from Monday's school board meeting.
Click here to view Brenham ISD's bond update webpage.
Also at Monday’s meeting, the board heard from district instructional leaders and campus principals, breaking down the newly released Texas Education Agency accountability ratings and spring STAAR results.
The district’s overall rating increased from a 72 in the 2024-25 school year to an 80 for the 2025-26 year. The district says the number of campus-level distinction designations rose from three to 14, including four for Brenham High School; three each for Brenham Middle School, Brenham Elementary School and Alton Elementary School; and one for Brenham Junior High School.
Click here to view the accountability and STAAR presentation from Monday's school board meeting.
In other business, the board:
- Renewed with the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) as the district’s property and casualty insurance carrier for the 2026-27 Fiscal Year. The renewal cost with TASB, who was the only vendor who submitted a quote despite the district sending requests for proposals to nine organizations, is $547,793, up $15,839 from the past year.
- Approved amendments to the 2025-26 budget. The amendments are budget-neutral and are meant to keep the district in compliance with state auditing standards as the fiscal year closes on August 31st.
- Reviewed the district’s 2026-27 employee and student handbooks.