A committee has recommended a bond for a new middle school at Decatur. FILE PHOTO
After two months of meetings and a community survey to examine a possible school bond election at Decatur ISD, a bond planning committee Tuesday came to a unanimous consensus on a recommendation to the school board.
That recommendation will be for a $137 million total bond package to address needs identified in the district’s long range facility plan.
The committee will make its presentation to the school board at a special meeting in early February, and the board is expected to consider calling a May bond election at its Feb. 9 regular meeting.
The largest portion of the proposed bond, $100 million, would be dedicated to building a new McCarroll Middle School. That campus, the oldest in the district, has been identified over the years as being the most overcrowded. It also is responsible for 26 percent of the district’s maintenance costs, according to the district.
The committee was given the results of the recent community survey, which showed strong community support for replacement of the middle school campus. Both of the two options presented — an option of building a new school west of the current school, which would create a need to replace the high school baseball and softball fields, and an option of building a new school directly to east of the current school — both received more than 50 percent support.
By the end of the survey, the option to build east of the current school — the less expensive of the two options — drew the most support.
Brett Sumrow with the architecture and design firm Corgan, who has facilitated the committee meetings, said based on feedback from both the meetings and the community survey, he presented an option that would connect the new middle school to the existing multipurpose building (MPB). That would alleviate concerns about moving a nearby creek and better utilize an existing building (MPB). The proposal would also create a connector hallway between the MPB and the STEM Academy at Enis Elementary, allowing the elementary school to have a dedicated cafetorium for lunch and events like other elementary campuses in the district. A wall would be added in the MPB to separate the elementary and middle school sections of the building.
After some discussion, the committee unanimously agreed to recommend that option to the school board.
The overall bond recommendation will also include money for career and technical education (CTE), transportation, technology, safety and security projects and district-wide facility needs.
Presentations from Tuesday’s meeting and previous meetings can be found at decaturisdbondplanning.com.
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