Board calls for 3.5 million bond election

(This story was published in the Port Aransas South Jetty Newspaper on February 28.)

The Port Aransas Independent School District Board of Trustees finally came to an agreement over the bond issue. The board voted in favor of a call for a $3.5 million bond election during a special meeting on Thursday, Feb. 21.

The Brundrett Middle School entrance may be part of a possible renovation project included in the bond issue that PAISD Board of Trustees voted to send to voters on Thursday, Feb. 21. The new entrance should be built for security purposes. Staff photo by Jim Dubois

This meeting was scheduled after some members requested more time to look over facilities graded from outstanding to unsatisfactory by a facility committee and walk around campuses to determine their final opinion.

“The board of trustees was very thoughtful and deliberate in its discussion of whether to call a bond election and for what amount,” Port Aransas Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Sharon Doughty said.

“I am absolutely thrilled,” board of trustees President Michelle Lorette commented after the vote. “Now, the administrators will put together a plan that we will facilitate.”

And yet, the board did not agree on every item on the list but defined five main fields to focus on: new construction, renovations, equipment, transportation and maintenance. The board will choose which projects to take into consideration.

“The administration will provide the board with a prioritized listing of capital improvement projects, which is the procedure followed by our board of trustees over the last four years as they have maintained our facilities and enhanced instruction and student programs,” Doughty said .

The board said the security of students was a priority, and that the bond would help fund purchase and installation of a security camera system and remodeling of some buildings in order to make them more secure. Among big projects is the transformation of the Brundrett Middle School entrance since the actual setting does not allow the school secretary to control who comes in and out of the building.

“It will be the facility committee’s goal to share with the community how this bond proposal will ensure student safety, enhance instruction and student programs, extend the life of our existing facilities and capital assets through regular maintenance as well as renovations, and keep 100 percent of local tax revenue in our community,” Doughty explained.

Port Aransas voters will have the final word on whether the bond will go into effect. The election will be held on May 11.