![]()
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
BURNET — Action taken by the Texas Legislature almost four years ago reared its head during a Burnet Consolidated Independent School District discussion on a proposed bond package, teacher pay and campus maintenance.
The school district is considering asking voters to approve a $26.8 million bond in November. Part of the bond will go to make roof repairs, upgrade air conditioning and address maintenance issues on several campuses.
The board set Aug. 18 as the date to call a bond election.
READ: $26M bond needed for building upgrades
At the July 21 meeting, board member Robby Robertson told his fellow members he has spent time talking about the bond with taxpayers, and one of the most-asked questions was why the district waited so long to address those maintenance issues.
Superintendent Keith McBurnett traced the problem to the 2011 Texas Legislature, when state leaders slashed $5.4 billion from the education budget. Though the state replenished some of the funding during the 2013 session, the superintendent said districts across the state had to make cuts and decisions based on those actions.
“I don’t think you can underestimate the impact,” he said.
Board president Andy Feild said, at the time, the board opted to put some maintenance issues on hold to give teachers and other staff members raises.
Feild said he discovered some teachers were buying needed supplies for their classrooms out of their own pockets with costs reaching about $200.
“That ain’t right,” he said. “That makes you want to give up roof repairs.”
Now, the district is looking at the bond to help with maintenance issues as well as other projects.
Member Craig Barefoot, who worked for the district as the director of transportation, said the board has enough insight to ensure students and staff have the materials they need to learn in a safe environment.
“We knew about the roofs 10 years ago,” he said. “We can do a better job of preventive stuff.”
But it’s not just maintenance issues that caught the attention of taxpayers. It’s also the money going to the architect firm and various consultants.
One of the concerns of taxpayers to whom Robertson spoke involved Pfluger Associates Architects, the firm the district used to help determine the breakdown of items in the bond package, and the consultants who were used to examine what needs to be fixed at each campus.
McBurnett said Pfluger Associates Architects is paid a percentage of construction costs, which is the standard in school districts across the state. If voters pass the bond, bids will be taken from companies that specialize in fixing roofs, HVACs, plumbing, electrical and other parts so the district gets the best price from reputable people. The board expressed a desire to keep those dollars local.
While a roofing consultant might have examined what is needed for each item in the bond package, that does not mean he or she will be the one to do the work, the superintendent said.
“They were just consultants,” he said. “They know our facilities better than most people because they’ve walked them.”
Staff members gave administrators their recommendations on what needed to be done at each campus, he said, adding Pfluger Associates Architects did not tell BCISD what was needed.
“Administration drove the process because we were at the meetings,” he said. “We were telling them what services we wanted them to provide.”
While the bond calls for a job to be completed at a certain cost, McBurnett said there’s nothing stopping companies from saying they can do it for less.
During the last meeting with Pfluger Associates Architects, the superintendent said $4.3 million in savings were found, noting that shows a commitment of making sure money is spent sensibly without sacrificing a safe environment.
“I think it’s a very important bond issue for us as a district,” Robertson said.
As well as looking at the proposed bond, the board discussed the coming 2014-2015 tax rate and budget.
The staff recommended the district stick with the current property tax rate of $1.2625 per $100 valuation with $1.04 for maintenance and operation and .2225 for debt service interest and sinking.
The board scheduled a public hearing at 6 p.m. Aug. 18 for the proposed tax rate. The meeting will be at the BCISD board room, 208 E. Brier.
In other action, the board also approved the contract of school resource officer Larry Lamb at $59,954.31. That includes a $4,000 increase from a year ago because of his experience.
McBurnett called the initial year of having an SRO very successful, noting Lamb was the first person the district called during recent bomb threats and has helped with traffic at the middle school, an “irate” parent at one of the elementary schools and other incidents that have arisen.
The program was so successful that the city of Bertram has talked to McBurnett about providing additional police presence at Bertram Elementary School.
The superintendent said students like Lamb, often giving him a high-five when they see him. And, most important, he said, the students tell him about potential problems before they happen, which is invaluable.
“He was the right person,” the superintendent said.
jfierro@thepicayune.com
The post Burnet school officials talk $26M bond, tax rate appeared first on DailyTrib.com - Your Hill Country online news authority.
