School Bond 2010 addresses need for new classrooms and upgrades to existing schools

Northside is proposing a school bond issue for $535 million. School Bond 2010 equally addresses the need for new schools to manage continuing growth and the need to improve existing schools. The election is scheduled for May 8, 2010.

Even with the nationwide economic downturn, Northside enrollment has continued to grow by up to 3,000 students every year. That's because half of all new homes built in Bexar County are located in Northside. Just in the last eight years, NISD has opened 30 schools. This summer, NISD will open five more. Within three years, NISD will surpass 100,000 students.

Since the last bond election in 2007, Northside has become the fourth largest school district in Texas. In addition to the growth and need for more classrooms, Northside's existing schools need continued attention to keep them up to current standards and provide functional learning spaces for children. In fact, 51 percent of the proposal addresses needs at older neighborhood schools. About half of Northside's schools are more than 20 years old, and some were originally built as early as the 1950s and 1960s. In the district's 61-year history, all schools have been constructed with bond funds.

Last fall, a 250-member Citizens' Bond Committee representing all corners of NISD looked at enrollment projections, analyzed the needs of the District and recommended that the School Board call for a bond election.

What are the major elements of School Bond 2010?

1. Six new schools: 2 middle schools and 4 elementary schools - $227.60 million

   This proposal also asks for $7 million to design and engineer what will be Northside's 11th comprehensive high school, in the Kallison Ranch area. The District already owns the land, but it would be built out of a future bond issue. The proposed new schools include 300 more classrooms, all located in the explosive growth areas outside Loop 1604. They are:"Cielo Vista area north" elementary, "Cielo Vista area south" elementary, "FM 471 N area #2" elementary, "Red Bird Ranch area" elementary, "FM 471 N area" middle school, and "Stevens Ranch area" middle school.

2. Future School Sites - $23 million

   With about half of the District's 355 square miles still available for commercial and residential development, it is important that Northside acquire land now to build schools in the future. School Bond 2010 buys land while it is still available, before it becomes more expensive, and before developers build their subdivisions. This strategy has been successful before. The proposed new schools in School Bond 2010 will be built on land purchased through School Bond 2007.

3. Classroom Additions - $41.20 million

   The additions are seven classrooms at Michael Elementary School, which will reduce the need to build another elementary school in far west Bexar County; 34 classrooms at Rayburn Middle School that will replace an aging building; and 20 classrooms at

   O'Connor High School to replace a significant number of portable buildings.

4. Renovation/Reconstruction - $57.71 million

   Many of Northside's oldest schools will get significant upgrades. Among them:

   • Energy-efficient windows will be installed schoolwide at Cable, Mary Hull, and Westwood Terrace elementary schools.

   • Locke Hill Elementary School will get a new bus loop that will alleviate serious traffic issues on busy DeZavala Road.

   • Oak Hills Terrace Elementary School will get a new art room, and the Reddix Center will see upgrades necessary to meet Americans with Disability Act (ADA) requirements.

   • Holmes and Marshall high schools and Jordan Middle School will get new bleachers. Marshall will also get athletic field improvements.

   • 45 school playgrounds throughout the district will be upgraded with safer materials and be brought up to ADA requirements. Some new equipment would be purchased, but the bulk of this proposal is to provide safer playgrounds.

   • Northside cafeterias serve 100,000 meals a day and almost 18 million meals each year. School Bond 2010 would renovate six of the oldest school cafeterias. They are Jay and Taft high schools; Neff Middle School; and Glass, Mary Hull and Westwood Terrace elementary schools.

   Other major commitments include upgrading school libraries and science labs.

   • Five libraries would be renovated. These libraries are located at Clark High School, Sul Ross Middle School, and Helotes, Lackland City, and Villarreal elementary schools.

   • 27 new science labs would be built at Jones, Stevenson, and Zachry middle schools. Updated labs would provide a safer, larger work space for students.

5. Infrastructure (Mechanical & Maintenance) - $50.45 million

   This proposal funds necessary upgrades to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems around the District. Most significantly this proposal calls for a complete system replacement for Taft High School. It also addresses lighting, cabling, paving, drainage, flooring, tennis court resurfacing, decking at the Block Aquatics Center, and fire and burglar alarms Districtwide. Also included is the purchase of 40 portable classrooms to replace older portables throughout the district.

6. Roofing & Waterproofing - $18 million

   This proposal continues the cycle of roof replacements throughout the District. This proposal replaces 27 roofs Districtwide.

7. Technology - $55.33 million

   This proposal would provide more computers for student use and upgrade operational technology Districtwide. $25.6 million of this proposal will maintain a five-year replacement cycle of classroom and lab computers. $29.7 million is for infrastructure projects like servers, routers and other equipment. This also includes cabling, wiring, and broadcast infrastructure throughout the District.

8. Student safety and security - $29.25 million

   As a result of School Bond 2010, all Northside schools and all school buses would have digital video surveillance systems.

   • All Elementary Schools: A high priority over the last two bond issues was the installation of digital video surveillance systems at all high schools and middle schools. At a cost of $25.5 million, School Bond 2010 would equip all elementary schools with similar systems. However, the emphasis at elementary schools is controlling access to the campus buildings. This would be accomplished by installing cameras at primary entrances and other key areas inside and outside the schools. Card readers would be installed at designated entry points to grant monitored door access.

   • All School Buses: In addition, all Northside school buses would be outfitted with up to four digital video cameras each to provide another measure of safety while children are traveling to and from school. This proposal would cost $3.5 million. The new systems provide clearer images and audio than current VHS technology, and are accessible to administrators at their computers.

   • Police Dispatch System: An additional $250,000 would update the Northside police dispatch system and provide better communications and service to the schools and students.

9. Transportation - $20.40 million

   • More buses: School Bond 2010 would buy 162 new buses - 103 would replace aging buses and 59 would be added to the 735-bus fleet - at a cost of $15.3 million. With more students in Northside, more buses are needed. Currently over half, 52,000, ride NISD buses to and from school everyday. Northside retires school buses after up to 19 years and 250,000 miles on the road.

   • Fifth transportation center: This proposal would also build a fifth transportation center for $5.1 million. A new transportation center would result in shorter bus travel times for students. It would also save fuel by reducing the number of "empty bus miles"- miles driven to and from bus routes back to the transportation centers.

10. Tennis Center and Swim Center - $12.20 million

    • Tennis Center: A second Tennis Center would be constructed for $5.2 million to serve students and the community. The Anne-Marie Tennis Center at Culebra Road and Loop 410 has 18 courts and is inadequate to serve the needs of the thousands more students and dozens of schools that have opened since the facility was built in the 1970s. The proposed new facility would be located near O'Connor High School.

    • Swim Center: Thousands of Northside students are swimmers, divers and water polo players. In addition, thousands more adults and pre-school children regularly use the two aquatics facilities. For $7 million out of School Bond 2010, an outdoor diving and warm-up pool and an additional outdoor swimming pool would be built adjacent to the Natatorium. A $7 million matching fund from a previously approved Bexar County tax referendum would upgrade this facility into a national swim stadium that would draw national and international swim meets to San Antonio. Northside students would benefit by having access to this nationally rated swim facility and the district would rent the facility to state, regional, national and international swim associations for competitions.