By Dane Anderson, Staff Writer

The Eanes school board allocated an additional $1 million from remaining interest earnings from the 2006 Capital Projects bond account at a meeting Wednesday for use in continuing modifications to bring the district into compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.

Eanes Superintendent Nola Wellman recommended the expenditure to allow the district to get started on additional ADA projects this summer. 

“Our very rough estimate of ADA liability is $9 million,” Wellman said. “We will need to add ADA to a future bond proposal.”

Answering questions posed by school board trustee Robert Durkee, Wellman estimated that at least $7 million of the $53 million in bond money approved by voters in 2006 had gone to ADA modifications. She said an additional undetermined amount had also been spent in the course of renovation. 

Wellman told trustees that the district has spent almost all of the funding from the 2006 bond election, and the only major project funded by the bonds remaining is the construction of a parking lot with 350 spaces. She said the reason the district is holding off on the project but reserving the estimated construction money is that administrators want to make sure the proposed parking lot fits into the district’s long-range plan.

Wellman said she planned to flesh out an early proposal for a new bond election during an April 20 board study session. She said the district is reserving approximately $2 million of 2006 bond money for use in any unexpected projects that might arise between now and a new bond election. 

In last night’s meeting, the school board heard details on the district’s plans for money received in a grant to reduce alcohol abuse. The three-year grant will allow grant director Shayna Feldman, who wrote and developed the federal grant, to conduct additional student surveys, continue to assess risk at campuses, create focus groups with students, evaluate campus needs and develop prevention and intervention programs. 

“One of the cool things we are doing with this grant is student generated messages against alcohol use,” Feldman said. Part of that student-driven message will be delivered during a film festival put on by Safe Homes later this year. 

Bill Bechtol, district director of curriculum, has been working with Feldman in securing and developing grant funds for the alcohol prevention program.

“I think that it’s very fortunate that we have these funds to be able to work on these issues,” he said.

During the school board meeting, a number of local parents addressed the board, asking members and administrators to reduce the number of students in elementary school classes below the maximum levels established by the state. The parents said those maximum levels were set too high and prevented optimal learning environments.

School board members also voted to change the name of Westlake High School’s newly renovated Fine Arts Center to the Westlake Community Performing Arts Center. Wellman said the new name better portrayed the expanded capabilities of the facility, which the district spent $12 in bond money modernizing and improving.