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12 The Eanes school board met for a special study session Monday night that led to hammering out of the district’s master plan, its impact on an upcoming bond and what board members and administrators want to accomplish in the next 10 to 15 years.
Faced with a $164.7 million list of almost everything initially considered for inclusion in an upcoming bond, board members went back to the district’s master plan drawing board to make some post-election progress in deciding what they want to pitch to voters now and what they want to hold for better economic times.
District Superintendent Nola Wellman said she was giving the board cost estimates for the full gamut of possible bond items.
“What I need is direction about what you want in (the bond) and what you want out,” she said.
By the end of the five-and-a-half-hour meeting, board members seemed to be leaning toward a bare-essential bond proposal covering work that Wellman said cannot be put off and new modular replacement facilities for the The Learning Center and the Alternative Education Center. Wellman included in her list of projects in need of immediate attention technology and safety improvements, energy systems maintenance and plumbing.
Board members also continued discussion into a $3.5 million replacement facility for support services and the purchase of a $4.1 million vacant gym facility on Walsh Tarlton Lane to house the 19+ program, records and a professional development program. The cost of a bare-bones bond covering those issues – $88.4 million.
“What we are left with is a maintenance and technology bond,” said board president Jim Strickland, who emphasized no decisions had been reached by the board and bond discussion would continue Tuesday evening at another special session.
During Monday’s discussion, board members reached major milestones in defining the district’s master plan for the future, feeling out tough topics including class size limits, transfer policy, number of elementary schools, policy on portable buildings and programs – in particular the district’s TLC for high school students who thrive in more individual classroom environments, the CDC for pre-school children and the 19+ program for students aging out of special education service.
Board members seemed to reach consensus on several key issues – to maintain six elementary school campuses, to keep class sizes where they are, to continue to fill empty seats in classrooms with transfer students and to continue with the TLC and 19+ programs.
“We got a lot of big-picture issues on the table,” Trustee Paul Stone said. “We still have more work to do.”
Stone said he expected the board to reach much more clarity on what it wants included on the coming bond during the next 30 days.
“All sides, all angles of all these issues are still being hammered out,” he said. “With input from the public and the board’s willingness to look at issues from all angles, we are going to get to a good answer.”
Faltering in the shadow of the axe for the upcoming bond after Monday’s discussion are $76.2 million in plans for new facilities – an elementary school on the western River Hills tract, the Eanes Elementary School renovation, the separate special education facility, the student activity center, the swim center and the facility to house dance, cheer and wrestling programs. With the exception of the special education facility, all of those facilities are now included in the district’s master plan.
“The River Hills school, the student activity center, the swim center – those are all wonderful ideas,” Stone said. “We want them. Now it becomes a question of timing. When do we pay for them?”
Board members Kal Kallison and Ellen Balthazar argued Monday in favor of a proposed master plan that included a new elementary school on the River Hills tract, re-purposing Valley View Elementary School into cohesive administrative offices and using the current administration building to house the TLC, AEP and some special education services. Kallison cautioned against focusing too exclusively on maintenance and operation increases.
“It we are looking down the road and our primary motivation is to save M&O money, we know that somewhere down the road our (state) school finance system is going to change,” Kallison said. “Right now, it is stuck at 2005-2006 funding levels. It can’t stay that way. Sooner or later, there is going to be a lawsuit. We can’t depend on the legislature, but the courts have been pretty consistent. Why would we do something (just to prevent an M&O increase) when we have a pretty good idea that things are going to change?”
But Kallison and Balthazar seemed unable to sway other board members leaning against the repurposing plan. With the replacement of Place 6 board member Mike Monnig with Colleen Jones, majority board sentiment has swung against the re-purposing plan.
“I think we all agree that long term, a new elementary school at River Hills is a good idea,” Stone said during the Monday session. “But for the next three to five years, the M&O goes up. At a time when we are going to be watching every penny, it just doesn’t make sense.”
During the course of Monday’s discussion session, board member Clint Sayers called for a discussion into the option of closing a district elementary school, redistricting and operating five campuses.
“”I think it is worthwhile to look at what that might look like,” he said. “ We have some (elementary) schools that are in the low 450s (in population). Maybe we need to look at going up for those schools.”
Lengthy discussion into dropping out-of-district transfer students, increasing class sizes and numbers of classes on each campus seemed to convince other board members that dropping down to five campuses was not feasible with current in-district enrollment numbers.
Discussion of the bond issues will continue Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in the boardroom at the district administrative offices at 601 Camp Craft Road.
Photo by Dane Anderson
BELOW: Eanes school district Coordinator of Records & Legal Services Bernadette Gonzalez, right, swears in returning board members, from left, Ellen Balthazar and James (Kal) Kallison and new board member Colleen Jones Monday at a special study session in the district administration building.
If we are to take care of what buildings and schools the District currently operates the Eanes Elem renovation needs to be reconsidered. You have a campus that has been overlooked for years and is in grave disrepair.
Just this week third grade classes were moved for a day due to a plumbing issue- aka sewage spill into the building. The campus has many classrooms in portable buildings- if we are removing portables from other existing campuses why note at Eanes Elem? The AC does not work in the library when it rains. And the list goes on.
If they are updating technology at all Eanes campuses does it not make sense to make sure the Eanes Elem campus is up to date to even handle those fixes- why do something twice?
If you want to borrow money to build new facilities, now is the time. Interest rates will never be lower than they are today.
If the board is banking on school finance reform that won’t require EISD residents to send 50% of our property tax to the state, then I suggest they change banks.
Sell Valley View, build River Hills, reduce traffic on Bee Caves and 360. It just makes sense for everyone.
Since we need to raise revenue, if we’re not going to close an elementary, why don’t we charge the legally allowable transfer fee? that would probably generate about half a million dollars. It won’t close the $4 million gap closing a campus would, but it would be a start to adjusting our spending to our revenue. I don’t see how we can continue giving our tax revenue to nonresident students to keep all six elementaries open (even though we also accept secondary transfers). It should at least be a break even proposition.
Why not move the kids from Eanes Elementary to Valley View once the new school is built? Valley View is much closer to Eanes than Barton Creek is to Valley View. Just seems to make sense. Once the new school is complete we can look at a good renovation for Eanes.
I find it odd that Eanes ISD can collect new taxes for Sienna Hills and the newer homes in the area for years, decide to move the now Valley View Students, and not plan for a new school. This has been a 15 year ordeal. I do not know how this was started and I do not care. I do care that this issue is fixed. Sending little children that far out of the neighborhood shows the neglect of the school district for this area. I do not want to pay more taxes either, but the district has already been collecting money for this school. I bet if Sienna Hills had not been moved to Barton Creek, they would be the ones hollering – and even louder.
Most people travel a distance for school. BridgePoint kids come from the depths of Westlake spening 45 minutes each way on Westalke Dr. Eanes Elem kids come from the depths of Westlake Dr, Rollingwood and areas off of Bee Caves. You just do it- you can’t always have a school in your backyard. Just because it is cheap to build does not mean it is cheap to operate. There is a District in Ft. Worth that sold the idea of cheap construction- they now have two new schools they cannot afford to open.
Second- school finance will change but what they are saying now is that it won’t be for the better for us. Even if miraculously we were able to keep more of our funds, the funds that the state gives us per student and for various programs are about to be reduced. We should be planning as if we have 80% of the dollars we now spend.
We need to wake up. It is a great idea but we are now making the choice- teachers and programs or buildings- ask yourself which educates your child? Then ask which you are willing to give up?
Sienna, just be happy that your children can attend the district at all. Many cannot and are paying high property taxes, private school tuition AND driving their children to private schools all over Austin.
Here’s the silver lining: What a difference private school makes. Worth every cent and every mile.
Your kids could live within walking distance of this fine facility:
http://www.keepeanesinformed.com/this_is_westlake_high.htm
Wait — Did you just say I should be grateful my children can attend school in your district!!? I choose to live here inside the district because I value education over all else. I pay Eanes School Taxes. My decision on where to live is not something I need to be grateful for – it was an informed decision. And judging by your pompous response, maybe one would be better going to another school.
Silver lining is saying that in his/her case, EISD does not provide educational services for his/her kid. That’s all. It’s very hard for people who have only typical children to understand, but many parents of children with special needs have simply opted out of the district. This happens at the both ends of the spectrum, from kids who are especially gifted to kids who need aides and modified curricula. Four years ago, there were 785 kids receiving services through special education (and yes, folks, special education can include super bright children who are off the charts smart) and now there are less than 550 according to the district. The rest? Most of them left. That’s about 200 kids. Isn’t it interesting to note that the transfer student population is about 160 kids today.
Hence, the accusation you’ve seen on these message boards repeatedly that EISD forces out kids who take more resources and then provides their “seat” to out of district transfers who can add to the district’s “scores” when exemplary measurement time comes around each year.
So what “Silver lining” is saying is that at least there is a school for your kids, even at the end of a long bus ride. I think his/her point is simple: that is not true for every child who lives in this district.
We are one of many district families who thought they were making an “informed decision” (i.e. believed the district’s PR) and bought homes here. Many of these families live within walking distance of Eanes ISD schools, pay high property taxes, and yet each day drive their children across town to private schools. They are writing tuition checks to private schools and paying Eanes ISD property taxes too. Because even though the district schools are right down the street, they are not an option. They are making an “informed decision” to place education (rather than athletics) as the priority.
It is unfortunate that those who state facts are considered pompous by others. I have had children in private and in Eanes. I see both sides of the above statements.
Also, I would not live in Senna Hills because I believe it is far away from just about everything. I don’t want to spend big bucks on gas and all my time in the car. If driving and distance had been a concern to “Sienna”, then it should have been a concern to Sienna when purchasing a Senna Hills home. I know I will be scolded for daring to be so pompous, or something. Shame on me.