Fail because reasonable voters realize we can't afford it. Fail because some just don't want to split athletics, because we can't afford it. Fail because the price tag of both schools which can't be justified based on past costs of elementary schools and current costs of other ISD's proposed high schools. Fail because the district ignores aging schools so years down the road when the schools in the Belton city limits are aging, will they be ignored too? Fail because this only enhances the interest of a couple of people. Fail because the admin is corrupted by those couple of people. I never wanted to make this about boundaries but it is. And this bond ignores a significant boundary of the ISD. If BISD is so damn good, would you send your child to ANY of the schools? I bet not. Drive around. Take your pick. If you leave off a few, then it's not BISD that brought you here. It's a nice new school in a nice new community that doesn't contribute a 1/4 of what others do.

What really pisses me off is this brings out the liberal in me as much as the conservative in me. And screw we're past needing two high schools. BHS will remain a 6a? F that. Allen is a 6a mega school. They do just fine.

I hate huge high schools. I paid for private school in Laredo to keep my kids out of big schools. That is a personal preference. I find that a child is less apt to just be a number in a smaller school. In big schools, quiet kids like my daughter can simply move through four years, being invisible.

The biggest problem for not making BHS a mega school is that it was not designed or constructed to be one. It is already worse than the labyrinth due to constanstly adding on to a school not set up to be added on to. I hope that makes sense. I am not at all against the need for a second high school. I do feel the one of the drawing boards is way too expensive. While a much smaller school, Jarrell was highly intelligent when they built the new high school a few years ago. It was built with expansion in mind.

That meant that the halls were wide, the cafeteria was somewhat overbuilt for immediate needs (but these are almost impossible to make larger after the fact and this is the biggest issue with Academy High., and the main entrance area was set up in a way that other wings could be added as the need happened, in a logical and planned way. The gym should either be slightly overbuilt to handle growth. So Belton should build a school that can handle say 1800 immediately or two thousand, but have a design that can grow to three or thirty five if needed.

Holding down the immediate costs would sway many of us who are older to agree to the bond, while right now it is a no.

I'm not sure that's possible with the designated location. And someone in admin told the Belton Journal that location will NOT change. It's designed 2 story and has to accommodate much of what BHS has. Baseball, softball, a track, parking, marching band practice, etc...
is Jarrell one or two stories? I know Jarrell ISD has had 38% growth over the last 5 years and they have a bond election this year too.

Here's the article you sent me.

http://m.tdtnews.com/news/article_d16ddd24-24a2-11e7-a181-27c1f77e9750.html?mode=jqm

And this is the first floor. The classrooms are upstairs.
The land doesn't really allow for one story with the capability to add on in the future.

I don't like the mega school model either

I'm not saying this bond needs to pass. If They are not being good stewards of the taxpayers money, then vote it down and go back to the drawing board and do it better.

But I do not at all want a 4000-5000 student high school..

Hate that model

They're poor stewards of our money in many of the operating expenditures but that's something I don't have time to get into right now.
Looking back, the high point elementary was a bad location because now the high school next to it doesn't have the flexibility to start small (being less expensive) with the ability to add on in the future. The district owns land on 2nd avenue, part of the Ag barn location, that can handle an elementary but that location may need a lift station for waste water and that's very expensive, so it's a terrible choice to build on. So why buy it? Not to mention part of it isn't even usable for building on. They bought land outside the city limits going towards academy but won't build there until McLean develops a neighborhood around it. When will that happen?

mazzag said:

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They're poor stewards of our money in many of the operating expenditures but that's something I don't have time to get into right now.
Looking back, the high point elementary was a bad location because now the high school next to it doesn't have the flexibility to start small (being less expensive) with the ability to add on in the future. The district owns land on 2nd avenue, part of the Ag barn location, that can handle an elementary but that location may need a lift station for waste water and that's very expensive, so it's a terrible choice to build on. So why buy it? Not to mention part of it isn't even usable for building on. They bought land outside the city limits going towards academy but won't build there until McLean develops a neighborhood around it. When will that happen?

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I am OK with everything you say. And since you are so damn insistent, I will vote no.

That said, I want a second high school. I wish the district was not so dysfunctional that they couldn't build a second high school at a reasonable cost while not leaving the rest of the district in disarray and in debt

Hopefully if this bond issue goes down in flames, they will go back to the drawing board and come up with a reasonable plan

BTW, I hate the new tech concept, and in my Opinion it's whole purpose is obsolete. The sooner they close that thing down, the better.

I read the history of new tech and it's a great concept when it works. Rumors are rampant that it's closing. Kids are hearing that the grant won't be renewed and teachers at other schools hear that NT's test scores are low. The super is on record saying it won't close. It's currently over capacity by 25 students but that's probably because siblings of current students are auto admits.

The totally project based learning concept is big in the world of education right now. In the however category, it does not lend itself to the skills tested by STAAR. I would not expect it to have great test scores unless they limit the enrollment to top ten percent type kids.

Regardless of the concept or original intent, it's nothing more than an alternate location for kids who prefer a certain social environment

Close it. It's not needed

Resistance to closing is based on job security and bureaucratic interests, not the best was to allocate resources

Mazzag, I'm surprised that pit isn't on your target list. It should be at the top

If the kids can receive a good education at one of the two high schools, and I will go on record as saying they can, then that place is absolutely unnecessary...

3rd Generation Ag said:

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The totally project based learning concept is big in the world of education right now. In the however category, it does not lend itself to the skills tested by STAAR. I would not expect it to have great test scores unless they limit the enrollment to top ten percent type kids.

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Does it lend itself to teaching kids how to find the RIGHT answer? Because that's what counts in the world of building bridges, skyscrapers, tax returns, cruise missiles, financial software, and correctly diagnosing life-threatening illnesses?

Can that be accomplished at BHS?

When new tech is shut down, then come talk to me about wasting taxpayer money. That place is ground zero

I can't target that place. The parents and kids love it. They're very protective of it. I'd probably get hate mail. There's a fine line to walk when being against the "it's for the children" tax and being for the children by saying vote no.

mazzag said:

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I can't target that place. The parents and kids love it. They're very protective of it. I'd probably get hate mail. There's a fine line to walk when being against the "it's for the children" tax and being for the children by saying vote no.

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Now that I don't agree with... you should be consistent... "liking it" isn't a valid reason to keep a waste of money going... there's lots of taxpayer funded bureaucracies that people "like"

What is the new tech budget? Tens of millions?

Yeah, you want to save taxpayer money, start there

That place is not needed

That would take a bit longer then. After the election because some of it's money does come from grants. Now how that's spent, I have no idea. But closing it wouldn't necessarily close the building. The ISD would find a use for it and that's still overhead. Closing it doesn't get rid of the kids, we still have to teach them and we'd probably keep the teachers on staff. At least for now, grants help pay for some of that.

The biggest drain of money and facilities is the early education school. The state says you have to provide it if a certain amount of early education kids in a district quality for free lunch. Then after a certain amount, the ISD has to provide a separate facility for them. BISD has 420 early education kids. The school has a capacity for 650. BISD had to spend $500k to get the early education school ready (lower toilets, sinks, etc) and the state doesn't provide funds to remodel buildings. So BISD lost a functional elementary school because the state says you have to provide early education but only to a portion of the population.

New tech and the concept of PBL is that more responsibility is placed on the child to learn through the project, not just show off what they have learned in other ways by a project. It usually has a real world scenario attached and the students work in groups to attack the problem and propose a solution. On the way they have to master a variety of research, technology, and communication skills. They are therefore better prepared for the workplace where this is largely the mode for operations. I am not against it. It fosters thinking at a high level. It does not however prepare kids for STAAR tests. I hate those tests, but right now they are the way a school is judged for the most part.

i actually am a big fan of new tech. i would never push my kids to go there, but if they wanted to i would support them 100%.

i say this as a pretty big critic of "new" learning models.

c-jags said:

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i actually am a big fan of new tech. i would never push my kids to go there, but if they wanted to i would support them 100%.

i say this as a pretty big critic of BISD and "new" learning models.

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Well if we are complaining about spending money and the need to build a new high school, then that place needs to be the first thing on the chopping block... its whole purpose in reality was to relieve overcrowding at BHS. With the new HS, it is no longer needed, whether it's "liked" or not

Does anyone else find it strange that the early voting locations are at BISD facilities? Seems like a conflict of interest.

Electrical_Ag said:

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Does anyone else find it strange that the early voting locations are at BISD facilities? Seems like a conflict of interest.

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Meh...it's their election, where else would voting locations be? Especially ones that won't cost extra money. Except the Harris Community center. That's a city facility. It's where I'll have to vote on Election Day.
You'd be surprised how many teachers are against this. Sadly they're scared to say that publicly so I hope they're not scared to vote.

Captain Pablo said:

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c-jags said:

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i actually am a big fan of new tech. i would never push my kids to go there, but if they wanted to i would support them 100%.

i say this as a pretty big critic of BISD and "new" learning models.

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Well if we are complaining about spending money and the need to build a new high school, then that place needs to be the first thing on the chopping block... its whole purpose in reality was to relieve overcrowding at BHS. With the new HS, it is no longer needed, whether it's "liked" or not

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You're correct if it's purpose was to control overcrowding, then there's no need for it if this passes. But the super has promised it's not closing. So if this passes, maybe you can help me show how it's a waste of money. And get it closed. It really pisses me off that it's enrollment will count towards BHS, leaving BHS 6a for UIL. We can't compete in that UIL range. But the new school gets to be a 4a or 5a. The capacity would be 2500 but they wanna keep it around 1900. F that. Fill it up.

mazzag said:

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Captain Pablo said:

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c-jags said:

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i actually am a big fan of new tech. i would never push my kids to go there, but if they wanted to i would support them 100%.

i say this as a pretty big critic of BISD and "new" learning models.

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Well if we are complaining about spending money and the need to build a new high school, then that place needs to be the first thing on the chopping block... its whole purpose in reality was to relieve overcrowding at BHS. With the new HS, it is no longer needed, whether it's "liked" or not

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You're correct if it's purpose was to control overcrowding, then there's no need for it if this passes. But the super has promised it's not closing. So if this passes, maybe you can help me show how it's a waste of money. And get it closed. It really pisses me off that it's enrollment will count towards BHS, leaving BHS 6a for UIL. We can't compete in that UIL range. But the new school gets to be a 4a or 5a. The capacity would be 2500 but they wanna keep it around 1900. F that. Fill it up.

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I agree.... and not only are new tech students counted toward BHS, but those new tech students don't really participate on the level that BHS students do. They can't. They're across town... that's another reason I don't like it --- isolation from the activities that students should be exposed to.... voluntarily shutting yourself off from the rest of the district in the interest of your little social comfort zone... screw that... aren't we all about "diversity", and exposure to ALL walks of life... new tech does the opposite.... it's a nerd school, where parents and students deliberately segregate themselves away from diverse mainstream curriculum, cultures, kids, and activities... a multi million dollar taxpayer funded clique if there ever was one

mazzag said:

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Captain Pablo said:

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c-jags said:

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i actually am a big fan of new tech. i would never push my kids to go there, but if they wanted to i would support them 100%.

i say this as a pretty big critic of BISD and "new" learning models.

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Well if we are complaining about spending money and the need to build a new high school, then that place needs to be the first thing on the chopping block... its whole purpose in reality was to relieve overcrowding at BHS. With the new HS, it is no longer needed, whether it's "liked" or not

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You're correct if it's purpose was to control overcrowding, then there's no need for it if this passes. But the super has promised it's not closing. So if this passes, maybe you can help me show how it's a waste of money. And get it closed. It really pisses me off that it's enrollment will count towards BHS, leaving BHS 6a for UIL. We can't compete in that UIL range. But the new school gets to be a 4a or 5a. The capacity would be 2500 but they wanna keep it around 1900. F that. Fill it up.

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I agree with you on many fronts, but my starting point is TWO mainstream high schools, efficiently and responsibly operated and funded... new tech, IMO, is a HUGE impediment to that

Currently new tech has it's own campus ID so it's enrollment does not count towards BHS. but they will share campus ID#'s if we open a new high school. there's some kind of agreement with UIL to let NT students compete in BHS UIL events. But supposedly only 16 out of 525 NT students do.

mazzag said:

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Currently new tech has it's own campus ID so it's enrollment does not count towards BHS. but they will share campus ID#'s if we open a new high school. there's some kind of agreement with UIL to let NT students compete in BHS UIL events. But supposedly only 16 out of 525 NT students do.

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Interesting that it doesn't count toward enrollment now considering NT students can compete for BHS in UIL stuff

But many don't because they aren't interested, or just can't physically get to campus for things like band and choir class. And the ones that do come strolling into class 10 minutes late or don't come at all... frustrating for instructors, I'm sure

That's kind of my point on it's isolation

They don't compete because there's not enough teams and too many kids so we need another high school for the extra UIL opportunities, or have you not seen one of the emotional reasons so justify the cost of building another HS?

Don't worry. Bell CAD will just start going up 10% on everyone's values every year and there will be plenty of cash. That's what Williamson does and Round Rock is seeking a 550+ million bond. In their bond proposal they are counting on a 9percent increase next year and at least 6 percent in 2019 and 2020.

mazzag said:

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You'd be surprised how many teachers are against this. Sadly they're scared to say that publicly so I hope they're not scared to vote.

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Most of the teachers I know are completely against this bond. They are scared to say anything publicly because they have been warned about doing so and some of the principals are campaigning for the bond.

The teachers were also not allowed to request projects or funding from places like DonorsChoose this year because the Board thought it would look bad when the bond came up for election.

That's just sad. So I guess this year kids just did without? NM. I see where it seems all requests stopped after the first semester. Oops. Seems a Miller Heights teacher finished up a fundraiser in march.

I saw all the tents getting ready for New Tech registration last week. That method really sucks--you have to have the resources available to miss work and camp out for how long to get a spot? Lottery would be much more fair.

You would think that a school named "New Tech" would have embraced a technological means of registration. Why can't this be done online? Enter a lottery via online registration. The district already has the Skyward online system. Camping out for a spot wastes time and is just for show.

They are still taking students. My daughter is kinda interested. I may have to submit her application without my name on it.