FB Chronicle: FBISD Bond Committee Members Call For More Transparency In Government!

Committee scales back school bond proposal to $429 million

By ZEN T. C. ZHENG
Houston Chronicle

After nearly two months of number-crunching and debating, a Fort Bend school district committee on Tuesday night slashed nearly $48 million off a $490 million bond proposal.

The $429.4 million bundle that the 60-member committee agreed on includes $1.02 million in campus improvements. On the wish list are numerous improvements to First Colony Middle School, including its interior, sound systems, carpeting and locker rooms, and a divider wall at Goodman Elementary.

The bond package would swell a bit more if improvements are considered for Blue Ridge Elementary School.

Fresno resident and committee member Rodrigo Carreon brought attention to the deterioration of the 38-year-old campus, and on Tuesday night the district agreed to investigate the campus' renovation needs.

"I'm happier now," said Carreon, who graduated from Blue Ridge in 1979. "The school district hasn't done anything to my school. It's falling apart. The kitchen, the restroom and everything there are still the same. They have been used for 38 years." . . . (click title link above for more)

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

FBN Covers Candidates Forum at the Marriot--

Fort Bend ISD Board Candidates Outline Goals, Vie For Union Support
by Bob Dunn, Apr 13, 2007

The campaign for two Fort Bend Independent School District board seats swung into high gear Thursday night, as candidates appeared at the season’s first public forum and vied for endorsements by the Fort Bend Employee Federation.

Three of the four candidates present – Board Position 3 incumbent Lisa Rickert and challenger Bob Broxson, and Board Position 7 challenger Noel Pinnock – answered in the affirmative to a key question posed by the 1,500-member federation, an arm of the American Federation of Teachers labor union.

The question: “Would you vote to allow FBISD employees to elect their own representatives to meet and confer with the administration on matters of policy and procedures?”

Position 7 challenger David Reitz didn’t provide a direct answer to the question, saying “I can’t tell you right now one way or the other.”

Follow the link below for the full story (or click the title link):


http://www.fortbendnow.com/news/2785/fort-bend-isd-board-candidates-outline-goals-vie-for-unioin-support

Houston Chronicle Covers FBISD Board Races

Trustee contests exist in Fort Bend, Lamar school districts

Contests exist for both Fort Bend ISD positions on the May 12 ballot.

One of three incumbents in the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District is not seeking re-election. Each of three positions is contested.

No contest exists for either of two trustee positions in the Needville Independent School District.

The filing deadline was 5 p.m. Monday.

In the Fort Bend Independent School District, the contests are:

• Position 3: Bob Broxson, 50, business consultant, is running against incumbent trustee Lisa Rickert, 44, a computer consultant.

• Position 7: Incumbent Ken Bryant, 53, an attorney, faces four challengers. Also running for Position 7 are Ann Hopkins, 58, a FBISD school administrator; Noel Pinnock, 33, a Houston Independent School District educator; David Reitz, 42, a manager at AT&T; and Daniel Menendez, 36, an engineer. . .(click the title link above for the full story).


Comment: Sienna area residents should seriously consider voting in the district elections. Although Sienna Plantation residents can't participate in the Missouri City council races, some local homeowners are actively supporting city candidates that support our issues (Landfill Opposition, Repeal Ordinance 46-4, No More High Density Multi-family Housing, Pushing for a healthcare facility for our city and our long promised firestation). If you can't vote in the Mo-City races then consider supporting the candidates now running against those on council who voted 5-2 for more apartments here in our community and the increases in our MUD bond debt through our Master MUD 1 (unelected MUD board).

Contact these candidates to support them: Rodney Griffin (District A), Kevin Tunstall (District C), & Lou Hunter (District B). See their info below:

http://elect.kdtunstall.com/
kdtunstall@houston.rr.com -- Tunstall

griffin7918@sbcglobal.net -- Griffith

louhhunter@yahoo.com -- Hunter

FBISD Missouri City Area Candidate Noel Pinnock can be reached at -- noelpinnock@gmail.com