New Sienna School Expected To Open At Capacity: No Relief In Sight (Record School Bond Election Coming)!

From the chronicle:

Construction contract for new Fort Bend school is approved
'Cookie-cutter design' will save millions, trustee says

By ZEN T. C. ZHENG
Houston Chronicle


Fort Bend school officials on Monday picked a Houston company for the construction of a new elementary school in the Sienna Plantation area with a deal that promises multimillion-dollar savings for the district.

The board of trustees unanimously approved awarding a $12.5 million contract to Brookstone LP, which the district has used for other construction projects.

School officials had previously estimated the campus to cost up to $17 million, including land, design, construction and furnishings. . .

. . . The school will be built on a 12-acre tract northwest of Baines Middle School. The district bought the land earlier this year for more than $601,100.

The school, which will accommodate 860 students, is scheduled to open in August 2008.

"We are experiencing explosive growth in that area, and the new school is critically needed," said Mary Ann Simpson, a district spokeswoman. . .


Comment:

responsible_dvlpmnt wrote:

So let's recap the issues in the excellent article above. First we have "explosive growth" so we need to approve a record setting bond in the Fall to keep up with it. Our school board isn't seeking anything from those responsible for this growth and making a great deal of money off of it. Wouldn't it be wise to seek kick-in on the land in some of these larger master-planned communities that use the schools to attract customers? For these same companies over-developing zoning/tax buster apartments in our county, shouldn't we add an impact fee to help the district keep up with the growth and not just pass the buck along to the taxpayers? Shouldn't we also stop borrowing against the bonds for new schools prior to the voters approval?

It would seem that a double A bond rating is NOT an optimal rating and we need to make some changes in how FBISD (and many FB districts) are doing business. Bring the corporations to the table who directly benefit from this growth while it hurts our schools and families, don't you think? Growth may be good, but unmanaged growth will continue to harm our struggling school system.

Background:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/fortbend/news/4881419.html