District gets facilities update

By Angela Weatherford Associate Editor

November 21, 2008 05:49 pm

— The Athens school board received an update about the district’s long-range facilities plan Thursday night.
The “2020 plan” is designed to take Athens Independent School District to the year 2020 in the areas of attendance, staffing, finance, technology, curriculum, maintenance and transportation.
“Of course we have to adjust the plan based on Prop 1 and 2,” Assistant Superintendent Mike Green said, “but everyone’s got a great attitude and we are going to continue that.”
Green was referencing the pair of propositions AISD sent to voters on November 4. The first, a $21.5 million bond that would have provided funds to build a new elementary school, failed. The second, valued at $3.75 million, passed. Those funds will be used for various campus improvements across the district.
Green said the district’s largest grade level is the third grade class, which will be going to Athens Intermediate School next year. Currently, Athens Intermediate has 525 students. Next year the campus will gain 44 students for a total of 568.
“We are going to have to add two portables at the Intermediate school next year to deal with the increase,” Green said.
He also listed several renovations that were needed at the district’s campuses — noting that the $3.75 million bond should take care of issues at Athens High School and South Athens Elementary.
Some of the money from the bond will go toward connecting the two separate wings at South Athens Elementary, Superintendent Dr. Fred Hayes said.
“The money to fund these things is going to be tough,” Green told school board members Thursday night.
The district estimates it will need $783,700 in 2009-2010 to maintain the campuses and $905,189 in 2010-2011.
“These are only the things that were in the 2020 plan,” Hayes said. “This won’t address the drainage and sewage problem at Bel Air Elementary.”
AISD Chief Financial Officer Randy Jones said the district is already running “about as bare boned” as it can.
“Maintenance is the thing that you take away from when you don’t have enough money,” Jones said, “and that is what leads to where we are today.”
Also at Thursday night’s meeting, the board:
• approved an independent financial audit from Smith, Lambright and Associates. The audit is performed yearly. J.W. Lambright told board members the district is in good financial shape.
• approved Wesley Jones Paint Service to paint Athens Intermediate School for $8,240, and Sherwin Williams to re-carpet Athens Intermediate for $38,352.71. Both projects are expected to be completed by the spring semester.