SCHOOL BOARD CONSIDERS RENOVATIONS AND FUNDING

  

What school renovations need to be made and where to get the funding for them were the major topics discussed at the noon school board meeting today.

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District Financial Advisor Steve Perry

 

District Financial Advisor Steve Perry discussed the Qualified Zone Academy Bond Program or QZAB with the board.  The district last used this program in 2003 to fund the renovations at the Junior High School.  The QZAB program is funded by the Federal Government and allows qualifying districts to issue no interest bonds to fund school renovation projects.  One of the requirements is that 10 percent of the bond value must come from private entities.  Steve Perry explains how this was done with the previous bonds:

 

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J.P. Grom of LAN and Associates

 

The 2003 QZAB bonds are being paid for with funds from the Tom Green County school land leases.  The last payment on those bonds is due in 2018, so the school district is looking to apply for new QZAB bond funding.

School board members next looked at where to spend the QZAB money.  High on the priority list are upgrades to the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing at Krause Elementary.  J.P. Grom of LAN and Associates explains the process:

 

The district plans to form a Safety and Security Committee to look at each campus and recommend to the board what projects take priority.  The board would be made up of district administrators, law enforcement, a community member, and a member of the school board.  Board member Ray Weiss volunteered to be on the committee.

Following a closed executive session, the board voted to settle a lawsuit against the school district, saying only, it was in the best interest of the district to do so.  Superintendent Sam Bell declined to release any information about the settlement including the monetary amount if any.  Assistant Superintendent Paul Aschenbeck told KWHI that we would have to file a Freedom of Information request with the district for the information.  He said the district would then provide the settlement agreement with portions redacted to protect those involved.  The Freedom of Information Act allows government bodies 10 days to respond to a request.  KWHI is in the process of filing that request in order to learn the dollar amount of public money, if any, was paid by the school district in settlement of the lawsuit.

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2 Comments

  1. I have a suggestion- fix the handicap parking/access in front of the high school. Anyone with any clue should know that ramp makes it impossible for anyone in a wheelchair, or with any mobility impairment to use-absolutely ridiculous, and not ADA compliant, I believe.

  2. Is this all the school board does find ways to spend more money? Spending more, taking on more debt to pay for something that is a want instead of a need is ridiculous. If we all did that in our personal lives we would go bankrupt. People of Washington County need to wake up and speak up enough of this spending!!! If u check the school district tax rate for any other district around us you will find that Brenham ISD has the highest tax rate than any other school district around a 50 mile radius. Enough of the spending and making taxpayers pay for it!!!!

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