Bovina ISD moves forward on 2 bond elections for school safety, renovations
After meeting with the public last week, the Bovina Independent School District (ISD) decided to move forward to have a bond vote in May to increase school safety on its campuses.
Proposition A would move all classrooms onto the main campus and cover additions needed to the campus to accommodate pre-K through first grade to be moved from its current location. The bond would also cover existing restroom and ADA compliance renovations. The bond would be for about $8 million.
The other proposition to be voted on would be for track and field relocation to the main campus, which would cost $7 million. Another bond was considered, but after speaking with the public, the board decided these were the issues of primary concern to the public. Synthetic turf for the main campus football field was a big part of that proposal that was not brought forward.
This measure received one "no" vote from board member Richard Carson, with all other members choosing to have a bond election. Sergio Menchaca, the superintendent of Bovina ISD, spoke about the bond elections.
“After speaking with citizens, the students, and the board, we realized that there were several things that we could improve to make our campus safer for the kids,” Menchaca said. “We have a small campus that is broken away from the main campus, so we feel it's safer to have all the kids at the same campus, especially with us using the guardian program with some staff carrying firearms. If we are in one place, we will all be better off.”
He said that the current track and other campus involve students traveling across multiple streets to the main campus. With no bond passed since 1955, Menchaca says it is time to upgrade the school's safety, and these measures will make students safer.
“We are going to give all the facts that we can to voters in the district and make sure that they know the value in having safe kids,” he said. “We value each taxpayer and realize that we are an agricultural community. We are grateful for the people who value the safety of children. The community coming out to give their voice was vital in this process.”
Menchaca hopes that the state works to put more money into education, especially for rural districts. He said that the board worked to give the teachers a stipend to supplement their salaries.
Chris Antillion, board president, said that there were two previous meetings with residents that were well attended, which gave them a chance to vote for what improvements they deemed necessary. He said that over 90 people voted on their preferences for the school's needs.
“You cannot put a price tag on the safety of the children,” Antillon said. “This will bring safety improvements to the school; this is nothing to make us fancier than other schools. We appreciate the support we received from the community and hope that they see the value in these safety measures."
Antillon said that kicking this down the road would be a mistake.
“You do not want to wait until something happens and then say we should have done this,” he said. "If we have a chance to make our schools safer, then we should do it for the kids' safety.”
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Bovina ISD votes for 2 bond elections for school safety, relocation
