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HISD Bond Issue Details for Our Area
Here are the details on how the HISD bond proposal, if passed, would affect schools within District 137. (For schools outside of our district, please see the HISD web site at www.houstonisd.org and click on "HISD bond proposal".) If the bond issue passes, two of the older schools in our area, Cunningham Elementary and Piney Point Elementary, would each be completely rebuilt. For each of the schools, the cost to bring them up to standards is close enough to the cost of building a new school that it makes more sense to build a new school than to renovate. Each new school is estimated to cost about $16 million. An additional new school would be built to relieve overcrowding at Neff and Ed White. The specific location for this new school has not been determined. Major renovations would be provided at the following schools in our area (shown with estimated costs): Lee High School - $5.5 million Benavidez Elementary - $3.7 million Jane Long Middle School - $12.3 million Sharpstown High School - $3.0 million Sharpstown Middle School - 2.0 million Sutton Elementary - $6.7 million Ed White Elementary - $4.7 million HISD has posted the details of these renovations on their web site. If you're interested in how the money will be spent at each of those schools (by general category of expenditure) see www.houstonisd.org, click on "HISD Bond Proposal", then click on "Facility Condition Assessments" and choose from the various types of schools in the "Index" box on the right side of the page to get to the school in which you are interested. In addition, all schools will also receive safety and security upgrades. HISD has not listed specific projects for this part of the plan, but the total cost of these improvements for all of HISD is estimated at $90 million out of the $805 million that the district plans to spend. The district is also currently preparing to rebuild Sugar Grove Elementary, using funds from the previous bond issue. Contracts for that project are expected to be approved shortly. I voted early, and I voted FOR the bond issue. One message I've heard consistently is that money for education should be spent in the classroom. This bond issue is almost entirely for classrooms and school buildings. (A small amount, around $16 million of the total of $805 million, is proposed for renovations to existing stadiums.) Anyone can always find a reason to vote against any bond issue. But in the end, this is about the schools that children in Houston will attend for at least the next 30 years. Our schools need to be safe, positive places where students will want to attend and teachers and staff will want to work. This bond issue will continue a process to make them so. As always, please let me know if I can provide any further information. And, remember that a complete review of the 16 state constitutional amendment propositions is on my web site at www.scotthochberg.com, along with a simple guide to help you determine your polling place on Election Day.
Scott Hochberg
Your contribution to the Scott Hochberg Campaign will help keep Scott working for us in the Texas House. You can contribute any amount using your credit card or Paypal account via our secure electronic payment system. Sorry, no contributions are allowed from corporations. While we must report your contribution under Texas ethics laws, your email address will remain private. We must have your full name and address on all contributions. Contributions identified only by an email address cannot be accepted. State law also requires us to use best efforts to collect and report the principal occupation (or job title) and full name of employer of individuals whose contributions equal or exceed $500 in a reporting period. If you are contributing $500 or more during any six-month period, please include your occupation and employer in the space provided on the contribution screen.
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