A revised 2012 bond proposal presented to the HISD Board of Education on Thursday would modernize outdated high schools across the city. The proposal would:
Provide new campuses for 20 high schools
The 2012 bond proposal includes $64.5 million to rebuild DeBakey High School for Health Professions. The new campus would be located in the heart of the Texas Medical Center and would provide students with expanded access to health care and research facilities. DeBakey is one several HISD magnet and specialty schools that would be rebuilt under the 2012 Bond proposal.
Current DeBakey HS.
A new campus is also planned for the nationally renowned High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. It would be built downtown near Houston’s vaunted Theater District on land that HISD already owns at 1300 Capitol.
HSPVA would get a new campus under the 2012 bond.
In all, the 2012 bond proposal includes funding to rebuild or renovate 38 schools, upgrade technology in all HISD classrooms, and make other districtwide improvements. The Board of Education is set to vote on the 2012 bond proposal on August 9. If an election is called and the measure is approved by voters in November, the design phase of the bond project could begin in early 2013 and construction of new schools would likely start in 2014.
The HISD Board of Education is meeting to discuss a proposal for rebuilding high schools across the city. Here are some highlights from the discussion, which you can follow on Twitter, @HoustonISD:
Staff has spent weeks scrutinizing and fine-tuning the initial $1.89 billion proposal for rebuilding and modernizing schools. Adjustments have been made to the proposed capacities for several new schools included in the HISD bond proposal, including a brand new DeBakey HS to be located inside the Texas Medical Center at a cost of $64.5 million.
The HISD bond proposal would rebuild the following high schools:
Also, a new addition and renovations to Wilson Montessori K-8 School.
To see specific proposals for each campus and for districtwide projects, click here.
The HISD Board of Education will meet on Tuesday to discuss details of a possible bond referendum that aims to address facility needs at schools in neighborhoods across the district.
Forty-two schools across Houston, including 28 high schools, would be rebuilt, renovated, or renewed under a recommended bond package presented for the HISD Board of Education’s consideration last month.
The board must decide by August whether to seek approval of the $1.89 billion proposal from Houston Independent School District voters during the Nov. 6 general election.
The board will meet to discuss the plan at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, July 10, and at 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 12. Both public workshop meetings will take place at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, 4400 W. 18th Street.
While including nearly $224 million in recommended projects that would benefit students at all 279 schools in the district, the proposed bond package focuses heavily on the city’s high schools. HISD’s most recent bond programs approved by voters in 1998, 2002 and 2007 have primarily addressed needs at the elementary school level. The average age of HISD secondary schools now stands at 50 years, compared to 39 years for the district’s primary schools.
The proposed bond package would completely rebuild some of Houston’s most historic neighborhood high schools across the city, while others would undergo renovations and renewals. The proposal also includes new campuses for some of HISD’s prestigious specialty magnet schools, including the nationally renowned High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. The new HSPVA would be built downtown near Houston’s vaunted Theater District on land that HISD already owns at 1300 Capitol.
The proposal calls for $1.66 billion to be spent on improvements at 42 schools. This would cover:
• $577 million to completely replace 8 high schools
o Furr
o High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
o Lee
o Madison
o Sharpstown
o Sterling
o Booker T. Washington
o Yates
• $354 million to replace the inadequate facilities at 4 high schools
o Bellaire
o Lamar
o Sam Houston
o Westbury
• $259 million to replace inadequate facilities and renovate 5 high schools
o Austin
o Eastwood Academy
o Milby
o Waltrip
o Worthing
• $27 million to build 2 new early college high schools
o North Early College
o South Early College
• $61 million to renovate or renew 9 high schools
o Davis
o DeBakey
o Jones
o Jordan
o Kashmere
o Scarborough
o Sharpstown International High School
o Young Men’s College Preparatory Academy
o Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy
• $121 million to convert 4 elementary schools into K-8 campuses
o Garden Oaks
o Pilgrim Academy
o Wharton Dual Language
o Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School at Gordon
• $73 million to replace Dowling Middle School and expand Grady Middle School
• $126 million to replace 5 elementary schools
o Askew
o Condit
o Kelso
o MacGregor
o Parker
• $67 million to renovate and make building additions at K. Smith Elementary, replace inadequate facilities and renovate Tijerina Elementary, and build a new elementary school on the district’s west end to reduce overcrowding
The proposed $224 million in district wide projects would cover:
• Technology upgrades at all HISD schools ($100 million)
• District athletic facility improvements ($42 million)
• Middle school restroom renovations ($35 million)
• Safety and security improvements ($27 million)
• Land acquisition ($20 million)
The proposal was developed after a review of HISD’s facilities by Parsons, an independent firm that specializes in the assessment, design, and project management of education facilities. Click here to review documents that were used to develop the proposal.
Because of the district’s strong fiscal management practices, HISD has been able to maintain the lowest property tax rate of the 20-plus school districts in Harris County.
If an election is called, and voters approve the bond package, HISD would likely adopt a property tax rate increase in the future. This tax rate increase would have no impact on the homesteads of HISD residents age 65 and older, because their tax rates are frozen.
HISD estimates that the tax rate increase would be phased in over a 4-year period, beginning with an estimated 2-cent increase in 2014. This would result in an additional $29 in yearly taxes for the owner of a home valued at $200,000. By 2017, the total tax rate increase resulting from the bond’s passage would reach 6.85 cents, raising the average tax bill by $99 a year, or $8.25 per month.
School construction and renovation work approved by HISD voters in 2007 is nearing completion under budget. So far, HISD has opened 16 new or replacement schools under that bond program, 7 more new schools are under construction, and 2 more are in the planning stage. More than 100 HISD campuses have undergone renovations so far. Click here for more detailed information about the work completed under the 2007 bond program.
Forty-two schools across Houston, including 24 high schools, would be rebuilt, renovated, or renewed under a recommended bond package presented for the HISD Board of Education’s consideration on Thursday.
The board must decide by August whether to seek approval of the $1.89 billion proposal from Houston Independent School District voters during the Nov. 6 general election.
While including nearly $225 million in recommended projects that would benefit students at all 279 schools in the district, the proposed bond package focuses heavily on the city’s high schools. HISD’s most recent bond programs approved by voters in 1998, 2002 and 2007 have primarily addressed needs at the elementary school level. The average age of HISD secondary schools now stands at 50 years, compared to 39 years for the district’s elementary schools.
Many of these schools were designed to meet the needs of students in the 1950s and are no longer able to accommodate the best instructional approaches for helping today’s students meet rising academic expectations, according to independent school facilities experts who presented their findings to the board on Thursday.
Superintendent Terry Grier agreed the district’s high schools are long overdue for major improvements.
“Houston’s prosperity of today is rooted in the historic high schools erected generations ago by our city’s visionary leaders who knew the value of a solid long-term investment,” Dr. Grier said. “Now is the time for today’s generation to step up and follow their lead. Houston’s high schools should be places of pride for every neighborhood and, more importantly, the students they serve. Just like the baby boomers of the 1950s, our children today deserve modern campuses that will bring real value to their neighborhoods for the 50 years to come.”
The proposed bond package would completely rebuild some of Houston’s most historic neighborhood high schools across the city, while others would undergo renovations and renewals. The proposal also includes new campuses for some of HISD’s prestigious specialty magnet schools, including the nationally renowned High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. The new HSPVA would be built downtown near Houston’s vaunted Theater District on land that HISD already owns at 1300 Capitol.
The proposal calls for $1.67 billion to be spent on improvements at 42 schools. This would cover:
The proposed $225 million in district wide projects would cover:
Some of the schools recommended for major construction work are among those that had renovations under the 2007 bond program. In many of those cases, the previously completed work will be incorporated into the new building design, said Leo Bobadilla, HISD’s Chief Operating Officer.
School community input included in plan
Earlier this spring, HISD hired Parsons — national specialists in the assessment, design, and project management of education facilities — to update the 2007 comprehensive assessment of the HISD’s facilities. HISD principals were asked to engage their campus communities as they completed detailed surveys about the condition of their schools. More than 3,300 parents, teachers, and community members representing 95 percent of the district’s schools participated in this feedback process. Some of the specific facility issues raised by school communities in the surveys will be addressed outside of the recommended bond through HISD’s normal building maintenance program.
Links to school community survey results for each campus, along with more details about the data that helped formulate the proposal, are posted online at houstonisd.org.
Using this school community input, existing data from 2007, and information about the condition of HISD campuses based on work completed since 2007, Parsons experts personally inspected dozens of schools and interviewed principals and plant operators to develop the list of campuses included in the bond proposal. They took several factors into account while developing this list:
Even with the many projects included in the bond proposal, HISD schools still have many additional facility needs that remain unaddressed, according to the report presented to the board. Those needs will be identified as HISD moves forward with developing a comprehensive long-range capital improvement plan.
Property tax implications
Because of the district’s strong fiscal management practices, HISD has been able to maintain the lowest property tax rate of the 20-plus school districts in Harris County. In addition, HISD is among the few districts in Texas that offer an optional 20 percent homestead exemption on top of the standard $15,000 exemption that other school districts offer. This means that a home with a taxable value of $200,000 in another school district that doesn’t offer the optional 20 percent exemption would be taxed at a value of $160,000 in HISD (a 20 percent reduction).
If an election is called, and voters approve the bond package, HISD would likely adopt a property tax rate increase in the future. This tax rate increase would have no impact on the homesteads of HISD residents age 65 and older, because their tax rates are frozen.
HISD estimates that the tax rate increase would be phased in over a 4-year period, beginning with an estimated 2-cent increase in 2014. This would result in an additional $29 in taxes for the owner of a home valued at $200,000. By 2017, the total tax rate increase resulting from the bond’s passage would reach 6.85 cents, raising the average tax bill by $99 a year, or $8.25 per month.
School construction and renovation work approved by HISD voters in 2007 is nearing completion under budget. So far, HISD has opened 16 new or replacement schools under that bond program, 6 more new schools are under construction, and 2 more are in the planning stage. More than 100 HISD campuses have undergone renovations so far. Click here for more detailed information about the work completed under the 2007 bond program.
The HISD Board of Education will receive a report Thursday that updates the district’s long-term facilities plan and recommends several school construction and renovation projects that could be funded through a bond program.
Thursday’s meeting, scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Board auditorium of the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 West 18th Street), is for discussion purposes. No action is expected to be taken on a possible bond election until July or August. The next possible date for a bond election is Nov. 6, 2012.
School construction and renovation work approved by Houston Independent School District voters in 2007 is nearing completion on budget. So far, HISD has opened 16 new or replacement schools under that bond program, 6 more new schools are under construction, and 2 more are in the planning stage. More than 100 HISD campuses have undergone renovations so far. Click here for more detailed information about the work completed under the 2007 bond program.
Thursday’s report will be presented by representatives from Parsons, an engineering, construction, technical, and management services firm hired by the district in March to update the comprehensive facilities assessment that was conducted in 2007.
The board workshop will be carried live on HISD’s website and on the HISD Channel, which can be found on Comcast Channel 18 or AT&T Channel 99.
Eco-friendly features were on display recently as former principals, teachers, parents, elected officials and community leaders joined HISD Board of Education Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones, Chief Elementary School Officer Sam Sarabia and Principal Deborah Silber at the official dedication of James Berry Elementary School.
Cick below to see photos from the ceremony and the interior and exterior of Berry ES.
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HISD Board of Education Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones will address a crowd of students, parents, community members, alumni, and HISD staff at the dedication ceremony for the new Berry Elementary School (2310 Berry Road) on Monday, April 16th at 9 a.m.
“I am so thrilled for the Berry Elementary community! This lovely new school was designed to create a positive learning environment and to inspire students to want to learn and to grow,” said Skillern-Jones. “With these excellent teachers and this beautiful, technology-driven environment, I know we will see more great leaders emerge from Berry Elementary.”
Berry is among many schools taking part in the Houston Independent School District’s Green School Challenge in which students track how much energy is used on campus and suggest ways to make us even more energy efficient.
“Our students are studying the connection between the environment and they way we live, and this new energy-efficient campus is a huge part of the learning process,” said Principal Deborah Silber, referring to the school’s environmental science magnet program. “It is no accident that we are dedicating our campus during National Environmental Education Week.”
The new Berry facility is built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards – Gold level and is projected to have a 38 percent reduction in water use, and a 24.5 percent reduction in energy use. The district has committed to build all new construction projects to LEED standards.
The $805 million bond referendum approved by voters in 2007 made the project possible. The new school includes:
For more information about other school construction projects district wide, visit www.hisdprojects.org.
Who: The April 2012 edition of HISD Up Close hosted by HISD Board of Education President Michael Lunceford features an interview with fellow board Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones about community efforts in District II to revitalize Frank Black Middle School. The show also gives viewers a tour of the Bellfort Early Childhood Center, a successful school renovation project completed as a result of the $805 million bond referendum approved by Houston voters in 2007, and a look at how state and federal budget cuts are affecting the development of HISD’s 2012-2013 school year budget.
What: Monthly HISD UP Close television show hosted by Board President Michael Lunceford.
When: Throughout the month of April at www.houstonisd.org and on HISD-TV (Comcast channel 18 and AT&T U-verse channel 99) on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 8:30 p.m.
Why: HISD Board President Michael Lunceford is committed to showcasing some of the amazing things happening at HISD schools across the district, in addition to highlighting district initiatives and accomplishments. His monthly show will regularly feature a tour of a bond construction school, an interview with one of his colleagues on the HISD Board of Education, and a segment showcasing the academic accomplishments of HISD students and the dedication of HISD staff.
HISD administrators, staff and students will gather on Tuesday, April 3, for a ceremony to dedicate the new DeChaumes Elementary School (155 Cooper), one of 16 new schools designed with eco-friendly features. The school will feature new science labs, library and Smartboard technology in every classrom.
Take a look at the new DeChaumes Elementary in the gallery below:
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